An Illusion of Magic
by Lildrusilla
Summary: Crossover with Hallmark Entertainment's Merlin. Jareth seizes Mordred and Arthur forcing old enemies Mab, Merlin and Frik to join forces to save them. Better than it sounds I hope, I stink at summaries.
1. Prologue

**An Illusion of Magic**

_Summary:(X-over with Hallmark Entertainment's Merlin) Jareth seizes Mordred and Arthur, forcing old enemies Mab, Merlin and Frik to join forces and save them._

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own Labyrinth, no I don't own Merlin (more's the pity). Jim Henson owns Labyrinth, and Merlin is older than copyright. This version of Merlin belongs to Hallmark Entertainment. I do not intend to make money out of my use of elements from said films._

_Notes from the author: This is mostly a Merlin story. The main characters are almost all from Merlin. But don't let that stop you from reading it if you've not seen Merlin. Better still, go out and watch it. BTW, for all those Labyrinth fans, may I just point one thing out before this story starts- Sarah is not in it, meaning no J/S pairing. Sorry._

_One other thing you might do well to note- Although Labyrinth takes place in the modern day, and Merlin takes place in the 5th Century, time works strangely in the Labyrinth, and so this story starts quite a few years after the film ends. As far as the Merlin timeline goes, this story starts several years after the final battle between Mab and Merlin._

_I know this part is short- sorry!- but they will be longer in the future. Please review. I welcome constructive comments, but not flames. If you really hate it, either review it and give me a way to improve it, or don't review it._

Prologue

Mab stared out across the barren land that stretched to either side of her, as far as the eye could see. The dull, depressing grass that was neither green nor brown, but instead at that stage just in between that managed to achieve the most nauseating shade of yellow imaginable. The path cutting through the middle, a dirt track riddled with rocks and ditches that more often than not were impossible to see, until you fell into them (which was inevitable). The dead and blackened trees that were dotted around in various places. The dense, thick fog that coated it all, that made the air damp and cold and depressing.

Mab detested the place. Her legs ached from the walking, her ankles hurt from where she had twisted them from falling into ditches and holes, her hands were covered in scrapes from where she had had to pull herself back up again, and the constantly swirling fog made her feel dizzy and sick. It was certainly a step down (more like a few flights of stairs down) from her days as the Queen of the Old Ways. She'd wielded vast amounts of power, been worshipped by many, been unaffected by illness and injury, and of course, she'd ruled over the Land of Magic. She didn't know if her former kingdom even existed any more. Even if it did, she could not have got to it. It could only be accessed through the Realm of Humans, and she could not enter there- they no longer believed in the magic of the Old Ways.

Merlin had done this to her. Him and her former servant, Frik, and her sister, the Lady of the Lake, and, of course, the brat king, Arthur. They had turned their backs on her, and forgotten her. Merlin had walked away from her, even as she had faded away, pleading with him not to forget her. And now she was stuck, travelling through this magic-less void, between realms where magic still existed, a guest in all of them, belonging in none of them, but anything to prevent herself from ceasing to exist completely. And she was running out of places to run.

There were many realms, but a number of them no longer believed in magic- Mab could not enter those- she was unwelcome in at least three others (through circumstances which, Mab insisted, were no fault of her own), and there were one or two places which she refused point-blank to go to. Added to this, an ever-increasing number of realms were ceasing to believe in magic, as the human realm had. More and more magical creatures, and powerful lores and legends- sometimes even entire races- were becoming, like Mab, homeless, trapped as travellers between realms. Walking tiredly along this path until they reached another realm. Being forced to leave after a while by the magical creatures that were native to that realm, and uneager to share space and power with these refugees from other worlds. Having to endure more travelling along this endless emptiness between realms. It was little wonder then, perhaps, that some creatures, at the prospect of merely prolonging their misery, often wondered off the path and curled up, just waiting to fade away. That was possibly the thing that sickened Mab the most. She had refused to accept death that easily. She was proud, stubborn, arrogant and determined, and perhaps it was these characteristics that had kept her going far longer than most. Even so, it was a pitiful and miserable existence.

"_I wonder,_" Mab mused, "_If Merlin could see me now, what would he think? Would he be sorry for what he's done to me?_" She snorted, "_More likely he'll be disappointed that I still exist anywhere at all_."

It was while she was contemplating this happy topic that she tripped over and fell into yet another bloody hole. Cursing this place, Merlin, her sister, Frik, and anyone else she could think of, Mab pulled herself painfully to her feet and limped over to a tree close to the path. She sat down, leaning against it, and rubbed her ankle to try and prevent it from swelling up or bruising too badly. She didn't particularly want to walk all the way along this path, but she wanted to limp slowly and painfully along it even less. She felt tears sting the backs of her eyes- she couldn't help it, she was so thoroughly fed up- and wiped them away, concentrating instead on being angry. Crying led to melancholy and self pity, which was what caused those poor fools to just allow themselves to fade away forever. In Mab's experience, however, anger was wonderful for honing one's self- preservation instincts.

As Mab was busy rubbing her ankle and being angry, she heard a commotion from others travelling along the path. Evidently, someone was travelling along this path by their own volition. Someone who already had a realm to go to. As you may have guessed, this was an unusual occurrence.

"_So, someone has chosen to journey along these roads,_" Mab thought bitterly, "_Wouldn't it be nice to have that choice. How very brave and curious people can afford to be when they have somewhere pleasant and safe that they can call their own to go back to afterwards._" Rolling her eyes at the others who parted ways for this strange visitor, and goggled and whispered behind their hands (or claws, or paws), Mab concentrated on trying to ease the pain in her ankle, which had now started to ache sharply. So determined was she to not engage in staring at, and gossiping about the stranger, she didn't notice him walking over to her until he stood directly over her. Looking up, she saw a tall, slim man with wild and uneven blond hair, mismatched eyes- one brown, one blue- and high cheekbones. He wore strange clothes- a ridiculously over the top shirt with lacy cuffs, under a black waistcoat, and very tight black trousers. He wore black leather gloves, tall, knee-high boots, an amulet around his neck, and, to complete the odd ensemble, a high- collared black cloak. Mab felt her insides freeze as she saw him.

"_Oh, you have got to be joking._"

"Hello, Mab," said Jareth. "It's been a long time."


	2. Offers from an Old Friend

_Disclaimer: See the Prologue_

_Author's Notes: I told you the next part would be longer! Anyway, a warning that I forgot to issue in the first part- this is not a nice-Jareth fic. Jareth is not nice at all- as you will see in this part. In fact, Jareth is probably nastier in this than he was in the film. I worked on the basis that he would probably be feeling bitter- Labyrinth being solved, Sarah rejecting his love, etc- and that's sort of why he's so nasty in this. I'll explore Jareth's reasons for his actions in more detail later in the fic- so please, no "You made Jareth too evil, we hunt you down with big sharp axes" (Although heavy blunt instruments are acceptable) . Also, at the other end of the spectrum, for those who have seen "Merlin" and think I'm not making Mab nasty enough, I am trying my hardest to avoid making her suddenly angelic, even though I don't think she was completely evil in the film. Once Frik and Merlin come into it she'll get plenty nasty and scheming again, but in this part Jareth has her at a disadvantage. _

_Thanks to Midnight Lady for reviewing! I actually think Merlin and Labyrinth cross over without too much difficulty- the idea of magic and other realms._

Chapter 1: Offers from an Old Friend

"Hello, Mab," said Jareth. "It's been a long time."

Evidently, it wasn't a joke.

"Jareth," she acknowledged coldly, glaring up at him. Of all the humans, demons, and other assorted beings that she would rather not bump into whilst in her current pitiful state, Jareth was right up there at the top. In fact, he also topped the list of people she would rather not have bumped into at all, in any state. She couldn't stand him. Arrogant and overly flashy, the Goblin King had been a thorn in Mab's side for as long as she could remember, mostly as an overly pushy admirer. Others might find Jareth handsome, and desire his attention, personally, Mab found him just plain irritating, and most of the time she wished he would meet a particularly nasty end. She would have been much happier without his attention. She thought he was petty, cruel, arrogant, up himself, nasty, devious- the list went on.

She could tell he was expecting her to say more- ask him what he was doing here, tell him to go away, or perhaps fling herself upon his mercy and ask him to get her out of this hellish existence. Mab snorted at the last thought.

"_Well_," she thought, "_He'll have a long wait then, won't he?_" And, sure enough, right on cue:

"Well, aren't you going to ask me what I'm here for?" Jareth asked, in his usual laid-back, arrogant tone. Mab pretended to ponder the question for a moment.

"No," she replied. He laughed.

"I see you haven't changed, Mab." Something about his tone made her hackles rise.

"I see you haven't changed either. Pity." she retorted. He just laughed again. She glared at him.

"You'll forgive me for not asking how you are," Jareth continued, "But," and at this he swept his arm around, indicating the area, "Under the circumstances, I didn't think you'd appreciate the question."

"Jareth, if you just came here to laugh at me, then I advise you to stop wasting your time and go back to that pit you call a kingdom. If you came to tell or ask me something, then get on with it." Mab snapped. Jareth shrugged.

"Very well. Actually, I did want to talk to you about something. I have a…" Jareth trailed off, "Sorry. I'm just not used to having to talk down at you."

"Oh, please excuse me for disturbing your fascinating discourse," Mab snapped sarcastically, pulling herself to her feet using the tree behind her, ignoring the hand Jareth held out to her. She hated the mocking laughter hidden behind Jareth's words. What right had he to laugh at her? He whose magical powers and skills had always been second to hers. He whose existence was so selfish and pointless. "Well?" she demanded. "What did you have to tell me?"

"I have a proposition for you." Mab's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of proposition?"

"I thought we could discuss it privately. Where we don't have all these…creatures staring at us." Mab glanced beyond Jareth, and saw that he spoke the truth- now that Jareth had struck up a conversation with her, she had become part of the focus of the staring and gossiping of the other travellers. She shot them all a glare which would have cut through diamond. Jareth gestured in the opposite direction from the curious crowds. "Shall we?" Mab shrugged indifferently- personally, she didn't see why Jareth couldn't make his "proposal", whatever it was, here, but he always had been prone to the dramatic- and went to step forward, once again ignoring the arm Jareth held out to her. However, as soon as she leant her weight on her injured ankle, a jolt of pain ran through it and it gave way. She gave a gasp of pain as she pitched forward. Jareth caught her before she hit the ground, and pulled her upright again (but, Mab noted with not inconsiderable irritation, leaving his arm wrapped around her waist once he had done so.) He smirked again.

"Very well," he said, unperturbed, "Since walking would seem to be off the agenda, we'll just have to improvise." He took out one of his crystal balls.

"You can't use magic here. There's nothing to draw power from." Mab informed Jareth.

"These crystals draw power from themselves, Mab, just as yours did in the Land of Magic. Surely you knew that," Jareth replied silkily. Mab glowered at him again.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, glancing at the crystal in his hand.

"You'll see," he replied, "Hold on tight." Mab stared questioningly at him. He turned to the gaggle of travellers behind them. "Goodbye all," he said, waving dramatically, before flinging the crystal ball to the ground. Mab rolled her eyes again at Jareth's pointless theatricals, before realising what he had said, and then what he was about to do. She gripped Jareth's shoulders tightly just as the crystal shattered on the ground, and suddenly, with a flash of light and a cloud of smoke they vanished.

Mab felt as though she'd been caught up in a hurricane. A force tore her and Jareth from where they stood, and suddenly they were flying through pitch blackness, lit only by the occasional flash of bluish lightening. Winds tore around them, pushing them along and spinning them around with dizzying, stomach-churning force, and causing Mab's waist length black hair to fly out behind her. She hated travelling through the vortex. She longed for the days when she'd been able to teleport herself wherever she needed to go. Clinging tightly to Jareth to prevent herself from being torn away from him and ending up Goddess-knows-where, one thought remained in the forefront of her mind.

"_I am going to kill him when we get there. I am going to strangle him with my bare hands_".

They landed suddenly and hard. Mab felt pain rush through her ankle again, and the room seemed to be spinning- though she realised that was due to her dizziness, and not to any motion of the room. She released Jareth as if she had just discovered that she'd been clinging to an angry scorpion. His arm remained around her waist.

"Let go of me, Jareth," Mab ordered, "I can stand by myself, you know." Jareth shrugged.

"As you wish." He let her go, and she promptly fell down. She heard Jareth snicker behind her. Waiting until the room stopped spinning around her, she pulled herself to her feet with as much dignity as she could muster, and turned to face him.

"Now. What. Do. You. Want." Mab hissed through gritted teeth. Jareth smiled at her before sauntering over to a chair and sitting on it. Evidently he intended to make himself feel at home.

"Now, now, Mab. Patience is a virtue, you know. What was the point in coming to a nice room with comfy chairs if you just want to stand up and leave as quickly as possible?"

"I've never found patience to be a virtue when you're involved, Jareth," Mab replied, "Where are we?" He shrugged.

"Nowhere. A room plucked out of somewhere in time, because I knew you wouldn't want to go to the Underground. Are you going to sit down?" Mab sat down in the nearest chair.

"I'm sitting. Now, is it within the realms of possibility that you might tell me what your 'proposal' is, or will there be any more pointless delays?" Jareth went to open his mouth, when a small goblin appeared in the room. Mab gritted her teeth. More delay, and a goblin for company. The denizens of Jareth's kingdom were truly revolting.

"Your Highness," it babbled in a high-pitched squeaky voice, rushing over to Jareth, "Your Highness, there is a fight going on in the Goblin City- someone let the Fireys in again, and they're causing chaos!" Jareth stood up, turning to Mab.

"It appears I've been unavoidably called away. My apologies. I'll return shortly." Mab stood, and went to demand that he stay and tell her what he wanted, but he'd already vanished. She sat down again.

"_He's enjoying this,_" she snarled mentally. Finally, the full extent of her exhaustion from walking through the void between worlds, and then travelling through the vortex caught up with her, and she rested her head back against a cushion and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Mab opened her eyes later to find Jareth standing over her, watching her intensely. Embarrassed that he'd seen her show any sign of weakness and tiredness, she scrambled to sit up.

"Oh, please don't," drawled Jareth, "You look utterly charming when you're asleep." Mab shot him another glare, but her brain was still too busy waking up to think of a comeback. Jareth continued, "Even if you do talk in your sleep. What was it you were saying?" He asked, partly to himself, as though he was trying to remember, "_"Merlin"_? _"Mordred"_? Something along those lines, anyway." Mab froze. Merlin and Mordred- her two creations, one of whom had betrayed her, the other of whom had died, and who she had been unable to save. She couldn't think of either of them without it hurting, and Jareth's cruel reminder tore raw wounds at her heart. Overcome with the sudden urge to hurt Jareth back, she asked in a voice of pure poison.

"How is the Underground doing, Jareth? I recall something about someone solving your Labyrinth. A mortal girl. You're slipping, Jareth, you always boasted that it would never happen. Mind you, having a magical maze is one matter, but if you don't have the power and skill to keep it running, these things will happen." The last remark elicited a glare from Jareth. A vicious kind of triumph filled Mab's mind. One point to her. Then, astonishingly, Jareth smiled.

"Well, then, perhaps you'll be able to make some improvements to it." Mab stared at him, nonplussed. "Mab, you've lost everything- your kingdom, your sovereignty, your home. You can't tell me you like your life currently?"

"Of course not!" Mab snapped. If Jareth had just brought her here to rub salt in her wounds she really would hurt him.

"Then change it." Jareth said simply. He leaned in closer to her. "I can help you."

"Oh? And how do you propose to do that?" Mab asked sarcastically.

"Be mine. Be mine, and I will make you the Queen of the Underground."

There was total silence for a few moments. Mab stared at Jareth. He couldn't be serious. Of all the things she had expected him to suggest, this had not been one of them.

"You are joking?" Mab said slowly. Jareth shook his head.

"Why should I be? It makes sense. I desire you, I've never made a secret of it. And you're right, running the Underground is becoming harder- more anger in families, more people wishing their siblings- sometimes even themselves- away, and yet, fewer believers. Fewer people willing to admit to the existence of goblins or faeries, or those like you and I. I could use a co-ruler. And _you_, of course, will once more be a queen. You'll have your powers back; you'll be able to rule over the Underground. And you won't have to run anymore. No trying desperately to cling to the last shreds of your existence, just waiting for your time to run out- and it will, make no mistake-, no more tripping and falling and twisted ankles, no more not belonging. You can't tell me it's not a tempting offer." Mab took a moment to collect her thoughts. The offer of a kingdom, a realm to rule over was an offer that by all rights she should be clamouring for. She would have loved to believe that it came with no strings attached, but she had known Jareth too long for that. Firstly, she detested the Underground, its inhabitants and land, and its purpose- to trick the unsuspecting, longing and angry people of the world, to kidnap children, to weave powerful illusions to confuse and deceive those who wished themselves into Jareth's Labyrinth. Spending all of eternity there was not a prospect she relished. And, most importantly, the idea of being part of Jareth's property made her skin crawl.

"Jareth," Mab hissed in her serpent's voice, "I would rather fade away into nothing, I would rather become a mortal, than be part of your twisted kingdom, and there is no offer anyone in any realm could make that could entice me to go anywhere _near_ you, never mind become your consort." Jareth nodded slowly, a sad expression on his face.

"Somehow I thought you might say that. You always were too stubborn and proud for your own good. Which is why…," at this, he pulled out another crystal ball (Somewhere at the back of Mab's mind, she idly wondered where he kept them all), "… I brought along a little bargaining tool." He held the crystal directly in front of Mab's face. Mab was about to ask him what he meant, when an image appeared in the crystal, and caused her to gasp in shock.

It was a young man, not more than 22 in appearance. His black hair was quite long, reaching down to his shoulders, where it merged perfectly with his obsidian- black clothes. His eyes were a cold, icy blue. Normally the expression in his face was one of calculated anger, or vindictive delight, but in the image he looked rather bewildered and confused. He was turning his head to the sides, looking around himself, wherever he was, evidently very much alive and well, even though Mab knew that he had died many years ago.

"Mordred," she whispered longingly. The image was of Mordred, the son of King Arthur and his half-sister, the selfish and calculating Morgan Le Fay, Frik's former love, created partly through their brief encounter when Morgan had lured Arthur into her bed, and partly through Mab's sorcery. The boy who'd been raised to hate Arthur, and who Mab had trained to fight for the time he would lead his armies against his father, and take back Britain for the Old Ways, even as she'd lovingly spoilt and played with him in his and Morgan's home, Tintagel Castle. The boy who had brought his armies against Arthur, and slain the King, but not without paying a terrible price. He had killed Arthur, but not before Arthur had run him through with a sword. Mab's last champion, the last person to love her, the knight she hadn't been able to save from death. Mab swallowed her grief, trying to understand what Jareth was showing her. The view of the crystal panned back, showing Mordred's surroundings. A castle, of some kind. Pale stone walls, a straw covered floor, and a window, showing a vast maze outside. Mordred was in the Underground.

"I don't understand," she murmured, half to herself. Jareth removed the crystal from her eye line as it faded back to transparency.

"It's quite simple," he told her, "Your darling Mordred is in my castle, at the centre of my Labyrinth. He is my prisoner. Do you follow me so far?" Mab shook her head in denial.

"No," she said, "You're lying. Mordred's dead. He died years ago." Now it was Jareth's turn to roll his eyes at her.

"Don't be so naïve, Mab," he scoffed, "Time is twisted and distorted in the Underground, it exists outside of time. Do you honestly believe I couldn't have plucked him out of another time, before his death?" Mab shook her head again, but she knew what he was saying was true. It was entirely possible for Jareth to have done just that. Jareth continued. "If you want him back – and I assume you do – then you, Mab, will have to complete the challenge I set to all would-be rescuers. You'll have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth, or Mordred will be forever trapped in the Underground. And- because it's you- I thought we could up the stakes a little. If you fail to solve the Labyrinth, you're mine. No arguments, no more bargaining, no tricks on your part, no compromising. You will belong to me. If you succeed, I will send the both of you back to the Land of Magic, and you can attempt to reinstate the Old Ways again, if that's what you wish. You'll have your powers back in the Underground, obviously- magic is as potent there as it is in your Land of Magic. You won't be able to teleport though. That would make things much too easy." Mab's fists clenched in fury.

"And if I refuse to take up the challenge?" she asked. Jareth's face grew as hard and cold as stone.

"Then I'll have him executed. And I'll make sure that you're there to see it." Mab shuddered involuntarily. Jareth pulled her to her feet, and spun her around so that she could see a vague, blurry image of the Labyrinth that was forming behind where she had been sitting. Urging her forward, so that she stood mere inches away from the opening, he rested his hands on her shoulders from behind, and spoke into her ear. "So? Will you take up the challenge?" Mab stared into the entrance to the Underground.

"I have no choice." She replied bitterly. She felt Jareth shrug.

"True," he agreed cheerfully. Hate flowed through every fibre of her being, and his hands on her shoulders made her feel sick. Pushing her further forward, so that she teetered on the brink of the entrance, he leaned closer to her.

"Good luck. I'll see you at my castle. One way or another." He brushed his lips against her throat, but before she could object, Mab felt him push her forward and through the entrance to the Underground.

For a few moments, she felt herself falling through the air. Then she hit the ground, and darkness descended.


	3. Offers from a New Enemy

**Chapter 2- Offers from a New Enemy**

_Author's Note: I can see people asking "You say this is Merlin fic? Where exactly is Merlin, then?" Thus, here is where Merlin makes his appearance. _

_BTW: ladylillith, I read your review, and can I just say, I am so happy to have finally found another person whose favourite Merlin character is Mab. She rules, no contest. And Merlin was a hypocrite of tremendous proportions ("Yes, it was wrong of you to meddle in other people's lives, you're evil. Now excuse me, I have to cast an illusion spell over a complete lecherous lunatic so he can sleep with someone else's wife and kill her husband, make sure they have a child, and then I'm going to steal it off them. Yes, I am a paragon of virtue, me."). One of my pet rants, that one. Anyway, on with the show…_

Merlin sat in his hut on the outskirts of what had once been Pendragon Castle, before it had been pulled down and the stones used to build Camelot. There was nowhere else for him to go- he didn't have the heart to return to his old forest home, where his birth mother and foster mother had died, knowing that his love, Nimue was forever trapped in a magical reflection of that very place, created by the woman who had created Merlin, Queen Mab (Merlin had no mortal father. He made up for this by having far more than the usual number of mothers). Neither did he wish to return to the ruined city of Camelot, abandoned on the day that King Arthur- Merlin's old friend and hope for the future- had fought to the death with his own son, Mordred, and Merlin had fought to the death with his own mother, Mab. The irony of that hadn't escaped Merlin.

He certainly couldn't return to court- the lords and nobles that had been happy to have him there whilst he was placing Arthur upon the throne no longer wished to associate themselves with a Pagan wizard, particularly as a number of them were attempting to gather support amongst the other nobles to seize the throne of Britain, now that Arthur and his only child were dead. Britain was once more in the midst of civil war, threatening to overshadow all the good that Arthur had done in his years as King of Britain. As Mab had predicted, Arthur's reign ended in blood, and now the blood and chaos would return once more to Britain. So, even though Merlin had defeated Mab in battle, who had won really- Mab or Merlin?

Merlin knew the answer to that- no-one had won. Mab had been right about Merlin failing to drive out the Old Ways, but what good would the knowledge do her? She had died fighting for them. Or as good as died, anyway. Many people were now returning to the Old Ways for help and protection, only to find that there was nothing left to return to- Mab, the Lady of the Lake, the Mountain King, all gone. The lords and nobles who had been brought together under Arthur were now once more divided by petty squabbles. As for Merlin, he had nothing left. All the people who had been important to him, who he had loved, or hated, and who had loved and hated him back were all gone. Nimue, Arthur, Ambrosia, Elissa, Mab – none of them were left. Frik, his old magical tutor, still roamed Britain somewhere, but Merlin didn't know where, and he suspected that Frik didn't know where he was, either. They had gone their separate ways after that fateful day five years ago

So now Merlin lived in his tiny house, in Pendragon village, using his knowledge of herbs and potions to brew medicines for those who needed them, much as his Aunt Ambrosia had when he was a child, just waiting for disaster to strike the country once more.

His back was turned to the door, when he felt a jolt run down his spine, all the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He recognised the feeling, he realised with dread. It was the sudden rush of magic that came when a witch, wizard or sorcerer of great power suddenly appeared in a room. He had felt it many times in his life, because it was almost identical to what he had felt when Mab had appeared in a room.

Turning in horror, Merlin saw a strange figure standing against the door. At first he felt relief, when he saw it wasn't Mab, back from wherever she had gone after fading away, but that feeling was quickly replaced by wariness- the man standing in front of him was giving off an aura more powerful than any he had felt since Mab had died. Not to mention he looked extremely out of place there. Merlin doubted he would have looked "in-place" anywhere. Wearing strange, tight clothes, knee-high boots and a long cape, with wild, uneven hair the colour of pale straw, and mismatched eyes, the man- if that was what he was- seemed to have come from another world.

"Merlin the wizard, I assume?" the man asked, in a voice that was more of a statement than a question, with a strange smile. Merlin distrusted him immediately. Whilst he talked in a perfectly polite tone, there was a layer of calculating and sadistic nastiness that was impossible to hide.

"You know me?" Merlin asked warily.

"Of course. Everyone knows who you are. You're Mab's son." The man said laughingly. "I must admit I'm impressed that you managed to defeat her. Your ingenuity should be applauded- though I doubt she'd see it that way, she never could see much good in her adversaries. Too arrogant, that was her trouble." It took Merlin a moment to realise that he was talking about Mab.

"How do you know Mab?"

"Oh, we go way back. Nearly all of the Kings and Queens of the different realms have met. The Queen of Magic- Mab- isolated herself more than most, but I still spoke to her quite frequently. She never seemed to like me much, though. Tragic, really it was." Here the man cut himself off laughingly, "But then, I didn't come here to make small talk about Mab." Merlin stared at him suspiciously. If he had known Mab, Merlin highly doubted that he and this stranger would get on very well.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm the Goblin King. You can call me Jareth."

"Very well, Jareth," Merlin answered in clipped tones, "What do you want with me?"

"My dear boy, you sound almost as if you don't trust me."

"From my experience, anything to do with Mab and magic generally isn't trustworthy," Merlin replied, coldly.

"We weren't bosom companions, Merlin, though I must admit, it wasn't for lack of trying on my part," Jareth grinned wickedly. "She didn't like me. In fact, she detested me. You don't have to worry about that- the enemy of your enemy is your friend, and all that."

"I used to believe that," said Merlin, half to himself, remembering saying those very words about Prince Uther, before Merlin had put him on the throne, and he'd plunged the country into civil war over his lust for the Duke of Cornwall's wife. "Then I tried putting it into practice and it ended in disaster."

"A shame, I'm sure. Now, did you want to hear what I have to say?"

Merlin nodded, thinking that this Jareth may not be trustworthy, but whatever it was he had to say could be of importance.

"Good. I'm sure you will have noticed that the current state of Britain leaves something to be desired. The nobility can be so very petty when they believe there's something to gain. Such a shame that your friend's idyllic little dream of unity fell apart so soon after his death."

"It didn't have a chance to become firmly established. If Arthur had lived longer, or if he'd had an heir that was willing to carry on with Camelot and the Round Table, it would have built up greater strength and importance until the nobles would not have even though of opposing the idea of unity and peace. That doesn't make it not worthwhile, it makes it unlucky." Merlin argued. Jareth shrugged.

"Perhaps. Anyway, would you say that if Arthur were here that he would be able to stop the fighting and spread peace throughout the land again?" There was a faint sneer in Jareth's voice on the words "Peace throughout the land."

Merlin didn't need to consider the answer to that question for a second.

"Yes." A smile spread across Jareth's face.

"Then how would you like the opportunity to bring him back?" Merlin stared at him for a second. Jareth pulled out a crystal ball (_Author's Note: Where _does_ he keep them all? There certainly isn't room in his tights for spacious pockets- Anyway, moving on_) and tossed it to Merlin. Merlin stared into it, watching the image settle on a man, at least 30 years old, tall, blond and muscular- a purposeful warrior. The man he had known as Arthur- his king and friend. Jareth continued talking. "Your friend is in my castle, in the centre of my Labyrinth. If you can reach him within the next thirteen hours, I will return the both of you to the world that you know, and Arthur can bring peace once more."

"I don't believe you," replied Merlin. Hadn't Mab once told him that the magic of the Old Ways could not stop death, or bring people back from beyond the grave? "You couldn't have brought Arthur back from the dead. It can't be done."

"There are loopholes to every rule," replied Jareth. "I didn't revive him from the dead. I took him out of the past, before he was killed by Mordred. My realm exists outside of "time". I assure you; I can do it, and have." Merlin still looked doubtful. Jareth sighed. "If you don't believe me, perhaps you would believe someone else if they told you what my powers can do." He took out another of his never-ending crystals out of whatever indeterminable place he kept them in, and threw it up in the air. There was a burst of smoke, and, when it cleared, Merlin was staring at a very surprised looking Frik.

"Master Merlin?" Frik said uncertainly, "Did you summon me here?" Merlin shook his head soundlessly. From behind Frik, Jareth suddenly spoke, loudly.

"Flik." Frik turned around and gave a small shriek when he saw Jareth.

"It's Frik," Merlin corrected coldly. He was really starting to dislike this Jareth.

"Frik, then," Jareth corrected carelessly, "Would you like to explain to Merlin here, that it is entirely possible for me to pluck someone from another time and take them to the Underground." It was an order rather than a request. Frik blinked stupidly a couple of times. He turned to Merlin.

"Umm, yes, it is possible. Why did you want to ask me?" he said, casting nervous glances back at Jareth, as though he expected the Goblin King to do something particularly nasty while his back was turned.

"I don't trust him," replied Merlin.

"Oh. I don't blame you. Mab didn't either; it was one of the very few things that we were in complete agreement about." Jareth scowled at Frik's impudence.

"Watch your tongue, you hideous, grovelling, snivelling idiot," Jareth growled, "Just because you were once Mab's lackey, don't think it entitles you to special treatment on my part." Frik sighed in resignation.

"Why should it? It didn't with her either. Mind you," Frik said absentmindedly, "You'd know that, wouldn't you? You didn't get entitled to special treatment with her, either." Then, he saw the thunderous expression on Jareth's face, and appeared to remember who he was talking to, and went and hid behind Merlin.

"So, Merlin," continued Jareth. "Will you take up my challenge? Remember, you could get Arthur back. End the wars and blood-spread. Bring peace and prosperity to Britain. All you have to do to enter is," He gestured, and another opening to the Underground appeared. "Walk through there."

"Don't do it, Master Merlin," Frik advised from behind him. Jareth shot him another glare, and he shut up.

"Do I have your word that you will return Arthur and I to the mortal world if I succeed?" Merlin asked, knowing that, through the custom of the Old Ways, Jareth would be bound by whatever answer he gave.

"Of course."

Frik snorted derisively.

"One more sound from you, gnome, and I'll have you thrown in the bog of Eternal Stench!" Jareth snapped. Frik visibly gulped.

Merlin stared at the opening. He knew that rushing rashly into something like this could potentially be disastrous, but he also knew that he had a duty to the country to try and bring about peace. And Arthur could bring that peace about. He went to step through it.

"What happens if I fail?" he asked Jareth. Jareth appeared to ponder the question.

"You will have to stay in the Underground and serve me," he replied sneeringly. Merlin hesitated. He was sure that nothing good could come of serving Jareth, and he also knew that he would be bound by the answer he gave.

In the end, his loneliness decided it for him. He had no-one here, not anymore. He had to do what was right for the people of Britain.

"Very well," he agreed, stepping through the entrance.

"Wait, Master Merlin!" he heard Frik call behind him. Looking back, Merlin saw that the vast desert that surrounded him in every direction except forwards (where a large Labyrinth dominated the landscape) extended behind him, too, and that the entrance now showed a rectangle of his home, standing in the middle of the desert. Frik jumped through it, quickly.

"Before you go, Master Merlin, let me give you some advice," Frik said quickly, eager to get back through the entrance before it shut. "The Labyrinth is a place of illusions. Don't always trust what you see."

Merlin saw something over Frik's head, and his eyes widened. "Frik!"

Frik continued on regardless, "Expect the unexpected, the Underground is a strange place…"

"Frik…"

"And remember, don't take anything for granted." Frik finished, "Or, better still, just don't go at all. Why do you trust Jareth to keep his promise?"

"The Old Laws- your words are binding…" Merlin said. Frik interrupted him, irritably.

"Master Merlin, did you pay no attention to your lessons at all! Those in the Three Realms of Men are bound by their words and promises under the Old Laws. And what are the Three Realms of Men, Master Merlin?" he asked. Merlin knew this answer from his time learning magic from Mab and Frik. He could answer it word-for-word.

"The Three Realms of Men are the Land of the Dead, or _Anoeth_, ruled over by Lord Idath, the Land of Magic ruled over by Queen Mab, and the mortal world, which is not ruled over by any one being, but by it's four Elemental Kings- The Queen of Air and Darkness (also Queen Mab), the Mountain King, the Lady of the Lake and the Lord of Fire. But," said Merlin when he had finished, "I suppose that wouldn't apply now- all the Elemental Kings are gone, and magic's all but disappeared…"

"Yes, yes, but that's beside the point," interrupted Frik impatiently, "The point is, Jareth and his kingdom are not part of the Three Realms of Men, therefore the Old Laws do not apply to them, therefore Jareth's promise is about as binding as dry spaghetti."

Merlin digested this information silently, the word "_Bugger_" drifting through his head many times.

"Ah." he said finally.

"So, is there any other reason you think you should trust him?"

"Umm… He isn't Mab." Merlin offered. Frik shook his head.

"Master Merlin, perhaps I have not made my point clear. Allow me to show you just how little you should trust Jareth. You remember Mab, what she did. She killed the woman I loved. She ignored me half the time, shouted at me and ordered me around the other half of the time, and made me into her scapegoat the other half of the time."

"That's three halves." Merlin pointed out.

"I am trying to demonstrate a point, Master Merlin. The number of halves is immaterial. Anyway, you will agree that I have no reason whatsoever to be biased in Mab's favour." Merlin nodded. "You will also remember that Mab had a terrible temper. A temper that made Vortigern look like Jesus." Merlin nodded again. "Now, I would like you to imagine clearly, Mab walking into a room in a rage, the enormity of which is impossible to comprehend. Now, imagine I insult her, to her face, really badly…"

"What kind of insult?" Merlin asked, trying to fathom what point Frik was trying to make whilst imagining Mab in a temper.

"It doesn't matter!" Frik said through gritted teeth.

"But what about her are you insulting? Her personality, her looks, her murderous tendencies? What?"

"I don't know!"

"I thought you said I was meant to be imagining it clearly!" Merlin said, still confused.

"Yes, but you only have to imagine that I insulted her, not what the insult was! The insult is just the means by which she gets angrier!"

"But there must be a reason for her getting angrier."

"Yes, she's angrier because I've just insulted her!"

"But how am I supposed to know how much angrier she'll be if I don't know what kind of insult it is?"

"OK. Fine," said Frik, who appeared to be trying very hard not to break something, "Imagine I insulted … her looks, then."

"What kind of insult about her looks?"

"I don't know!" said Frik, who was nearly crying by this point, "Make something up!" Merlin was still slightly confused, but he thought it wise not to push the point any further, so he imagined imaginary-Frik insulting imaginary-Mab. Imaginary-Mab glared at imaginary-Frik, and imaginary-Frik exploded into tiny, messy pieces.

"You'd be dead." Merlin informed Frik.

"LET ME FINISH!" bellowed Frik. Merlin hastily resurrected imaginary-Frik, and waited for the real Frik to continue, which he did after a second of waiting to see if Merlin would interrupt again. "Now, Mab is much angrier. Yes?" Merlin nodded, trying to prevent imaginary-Frik meeting a nasty end before Frik had made his point. "Now, imagine Mab is holding a very sharp knife. It doesn't matter what kind!" he said sharply before Merlin could interrupt again. "It just has to be sharp. Can you picture that?" Merlin nodded. Try as he might, he couldn't stop imaginary-Mab from killing imaginary-Frik with the knife many times. "My point is, Master Merlin, I would rather trust Mab not to kill me, than trust any of Jareth's promises. Do you now understand the scale of Jareth's untrustworthiness?"

The word "_Bugger_," returned to drift across Merlin's brain again.

"I see," he replied. Frik looked relieved that his point had finally been understood.

"So why don't you give up on this pointless- and, may I add, _dangerous_- quest?"

"Two reasons," replied Merlin, "Firstly, I don't want to see Britain at war again. I remember what it was like before Arthur- as should you, Frik- and if there's even the slightest chance that I can bring Arthur back to the people of Britain, then I will take it. Also …," he continued, as Frik turned back in defeat- he wouldn't be able to change Merlin's mind, he was far too stubborn for his own good- before seeing what had drawn Merlin's attention behind him, and letting out a cry.

"No!"

Merlin continued, "… the entrance is closed."

_Author's Note P2: I would like to apologise for the last part of this Chapter (The "What kind of insult?" part)- Merlin does come across as rather dense- which he isn't- but this was written late at night, and I couldn't resist putting that bit in. From now on, I will try my hardest to not make the characters go OOC_

_Meanwhile, many reviews would be appreciated! Please!_


	4. Getting Reacquainted

**Chapter 3: Getting Re-acquainted**

_Author's Note: Considered bringing a new character in at this point, decided not to, on balance. Thus, I spent another 2 days rewriting this. Enjoy!_

_Thank you, as usual, to my reviewers- ladylillith, I have now been singing "See the Little Goblin (King)" for 2 days solid! You have much to answer for!_

Mab slowly opened her eyes and got to her feet. She'd landed on a rocky patch of ground several metres from the outer wall of the Labyrinth. By rights, she should ache all over, and yet, she felt absolutely elated. She was revelling in being able to use magic again. It was wonderfully invigorating, being able to feel the power that coursed through every cell in her body. She couldn't feel it as strongly as in the Land of Magic- the Underground wasn't her realm, nor even one of the three realms of men, and even if it had been, despite Jareth's protestations to the contrary, magic wasn't as potent here as in her former kingdom, but still, she felt so much better than she had in a long time.

Just to prove to herself that she still could, Mab stared at a small tree in front of her, concentrated, and smiled with satisfaction when it burst into flames.

A quiet ticking noise interrupted her sudden elation. Turning, Mab saw a large clock suspended in midair just behind her. Unusually, instead of the numbers around the edge going up to twelve, they went up to thirteen. Seeing the clock brought Mab down to Earth with a thud, as she remembered Jareth's words.

"_You'll have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth, or Mordred will be forever trapped in the Underground… If you fail to solve the Labyrinth, you're mine_."

Mab clenched her fists again, and felt magic begin to crackle into being around them. She sent the ball of energy flying at the clock, letting out an angry cry as she did so, as though by destroying the clock, she could destroy Jareth himself. Destroy him for taking Mordred, for forcing her into this, for what would happen to both Mordred and herself if she couldn't do it…

Mab shook her head, attempting to rid herself of that thought. She _would_ solve Jareth's pathetic challenge, no matter what tricks and traps he dreamed up for her, and when she had, she would make Jareth pay for what he had done. Preferably with his own blood. Realising that she was just wasting time by standing there and getting angry, she turned to face the Labyrinth.

As she drew nearer, she couldn't help feeling a strange, nagging sensation in the pit of her stomach that was nothing to do with Jareth's challenge. She wasn't sure what it _was_ to do with, so she ignored it, and continued towards the ivy covered walls.

Frik and Merlin strode down towards the Labyrinth, Frik complaining bitterly all the way.

"Master Merlin, it's all very nice, this human instinct of "_Running headfirst into things for the greater good, and damn the consequences_", but I don't appreciate being dragged into it, greater good or no greater good."

Merlin sighed, "Frik, I did not "drag you into this". You were the one who dived through the entrance after me."

"I wasn't intending to stay here! I was trying to do the decent thing, give you some advice! Now look at me- thirteen hours away from ending up spending all eternity serving His Royal Twistedness!"

"I did try to tell you that the entrance was closing, Frik. You just ignored me," Merlin replied, irritably. It wasn't just Jareth's challenge and Frik's moaning that were setting his nerves on edge. There was something else, a different kind of unease, the source of which Merlin couldn't for the life of him identify. He moved with caution, knowing that from what he had heard of Jareth, anything and everything was likely to happen, no matter how impossible.

Mab ran her hand along the wall of the Labyrinth. She'd tried walking through the wall, but as she'd expected, Jareth had put barriers up to prevent that. Now she was trying to find a crack, unevenness, or change of surface beneath the thick layer of climbing plants that would indicate some kind of door or other entrance into the Labyrinth. So far, she'd had no luck, and she was fast running out of patience with the seemingly impenetrable wall.

Somewhere in the distance, she could hear voices growing closer, and the gnawing feeling of unease was growing. She was tuning out the voices despite her uneasiness. She wanted to concentrate on finding an entrance, and whoever the voices belonged to, she highly doubted that Jareth would have sent them to attack her- it wasn't his style.

"_Besides_," she thought idly, "_If he wants me as his bride, he's hardly going to attempt to kill me off now._" Frowning, she pushed the thought away- the words "Jareth", "Her" and "Bride" should never be allowed in the same sentence.

Even if he had sent someone to attack her, Mab reasoned, whilst she may not be able to kill Jareth whilst in his kingdom, she doubted that other inhabitants would pose any such problems.

The voices were getting louder now, enough to be actively annoying. She could hear footsteps now, as well, but she still didn't turn round.

One of the voices seemed to trail off as they approached, the other called out to her.

"Excuse me!" Mab froze. If she'd been holding anything, she would have dropped it to shatter on the ground. Now she thought she recognised what the feeling of uneasiness had been, just as she recognised the voice that had just spoken. She turned slowly to face the voice, hoping against hope that she was wrong, until she stood face to face with the two people behind her.

On the left stood Frik, her former servant, looking absolutely terrified. And next to him, a look of dawning horror on his face, was Merlin.

--------

As the two of them approached, the Labyrinth, Merlin saw a woman standing in shadow, facing away from them. He could see that she had long black hair, and wore dark clothing, but most details were thrown into shadow. Perhaps she knew a way into this Labyrinth?

"Excuse me!" he called out to her, trying to attract her attention. He saw her stiffen suddenly, and next to him, Frik's incessant grumbling ceased, to be replaced with a stifled whimper of fear. As she turned, the unease deep inside Merlin grew, until, belatedly, he connected what his eyes could see with Frik's fear, and his own unease, and realised, even though it should be impossible, that there was no way she could possibly be there, who it was that stood in front of him. When she was fully turned to face them, Merlin's worst fears were confirmed.

Standing directly in front of him, obviously alive and well, was the woman who'd created him, given him his powers, shaped his life, destroyed those he loved, brought down Arthur's kingdom. Mab.

The traces of aging and fading power that had been evident in her when Merlin had last seen her were gone, vanished completely. Evidently, she was not only alive, but far stronger than she had been when Merlin had last faced her. As she stared at him, her beautiful face seemed expressionless, but in her eyes, Merlin could see the rage and grief and hatred and shock that she felt at seeing him again. And he prayed that she couldn't see the fear in his.

-----

For a moment, all three were silent, unable to move or speak, as though mesmerised by the shock. Then, Frik let out a high- pitched scream, and dived behind the nearest bush for cover, and the sudden noise and movement broke the spell.

Hot on the heels of the shock Mab had felt at first seeing him, was all of the hatred that she had felt for Merlin over the years.

"_It was you_," she thought, staring at him, "_You betrayed me. You put Arthur on the throne. You gave him Excalibur, helped him kill my Mordred. You walked away from me when I begged you not to. You let me die. You're the reason I've spent the last few years in a living hell._" Then, even though she knew it was irrational, "_This is your fault_."

"Mab," Merlin said. It was a statement rather than a question. Mab shot him a cold, cruel smile.

"Merlin," she replied mockingly, summoning a fireball, and sending it flying towards him.

"Duck, Master Merlin!" she heard Frik scream from behind the bush. Mere moments before it could hit him, Merlin dived to the floor. Mab snarled angrily. She concentrated, and a lightening bolt seemed to fly out of nowhere, heading straight for Merlin, who threw up his hands and made the sign for "Shield", just as the lightening struck, before sending it flying back at her. Mab was surprised momentarily that Merlin had dared to counter her, but the surprise quickly turned to scorn, as she blocked the attack with no apparent effort. She lifted her hand again, ready to summon another blast- and this one would hit its mark- when someone caught her wrist from behind, gripping it painfully.

"Now, now, Mab. That's not nice," Jareth chided her. Mab whirled to face him.

"Don't touch me!" Mab hissed, her voice filled with venom. Jareth's only response was to tighten his grip on her wrist.

"Or what?" he taunted, bringing his other hand up to stroke her hair. Mab's eyes darkened in fury, and she lashed out, slapping him across the face as hard as she possibly could. He staggered back a couple of paces in surprise.

"Tsk, tsk," he reprimanded Mab, shaking his head sternly, "Temper, temper. We must find a way to cure that. I mean, I can hardly allow that sort of behaviour from you when you become my queen, can I my darling?" Mab glared back in disgust. He laughed, turning back to Merlin and the bush which Frik was trying- and failing- to completely hide himself behind. The two had watched the exchange between Jareth and Mab with curiosity and surprise.

"What's going on?" Merlin challenged Jareth, his eyes flickering between the Goblin King, and Mab, who was still trying to pull her wrist free, though whether it was Jareth or Merlin she wanted to attack was a matter for debate.

"Oh dear, you've found me out," Jareth said, in a voice tinged with mock regret. "I thought the two of you," glancing between Merlin and Mab, "would have been glad at the opportunity to reminisce and play Happy Families." Both shot him a glare which, if looks could kill, would have buried him six feet under in a nanosecond.

"You brought us here so that we could let bygones be bygones?" Merlin asked disbelievingly. Mab rolled her eyes.

"You really are a fool, Merlin. Of course he didn't. The only actions Jareth takes are actions that will benefit Jareth." Jareth put his hand to his chest in mock sadness.

"I'm hurt, Mab. Am I not giving you the chance to rescue your precious Mordred? Am I not giving Merlin the chance to rescue Arthur? How does that benefit me?"

"It does if we fail," Merlin pointed out to Jareth. Meanwhile, Frik had dared to poke his head out from behind the bush.

"You have Mordred here as well? What are you trying to do? Collect the full set?" Jareth glared at him, then laughed.

"Thick…"

"Frik," Merlin, Mab and Frik corrected him simultaneously.

"_Frik_, I have no desire to _collect_ Arthur and his bastard son…," Mab bristled at that remark, "… nor you, for that matter. Of course, Merlin and Mab would make charming additions to the Underground- and, seeing as you're obviously so keen, I'm sure I can find somewhere for you, as well." Frik set about trying to make himself as invisible as possible once more.

"_I_ won't be making any kind of addition to the Underground at all," Mab snapped at Jareth. He laughed.

"_You_, dearest, will be the pride of my collection. Personally, I've always thought you'd look stunning in a wedding dress." Mab snarled wordlessly, and tried to pull her wrist free again.

"Anyway," Jareth continued, "I'm doing the mortal realm a favour, really. According to the prophecy, Britain won't be at peace until…"

"I'm sorry," Merlin interrupted, "I'm confused. What prophecy are you talking about?" Jareth looked surprised.

"Oh, didn't you know?" he asked, in a smug tone that implied he knew bloody well they had no idea what he was talking about, and he wanted to lord it over them. "The prophecy that states that because Arthur and Mordred finished each other off at the same time… well, I couldn't quote it word for word, but it's somewhere along the lines of "Britain will be forever trapped in a reign of civil war, blood and chaos." Cheery, isn't it? Oh, but here's the bright side… "If one of the warriors emerges victorious, the state of political limbo ends." Not quite the right wording, but close enough. That's where I come in. If you manage to reach Mordred and Arthur in time, and rescue them –and that is a very large "If"- then they'll fight, one of them will die, and the other will reign supreme over Britain."

"And that's what you call doing the mortal realm a favour?" Merlin exclaimed angrily.

"I told you, all of Jareth's actions are performed to benefit Jareth. Mostly to _only_ benefit Jareth." Mab reminded Merlin.

"Hardly," replied Jareth indignantly, "Getting Britain out of a state of civil war won't benefit me alone. And if you don't succeed, then Britain won't have lost anything that it hadn't already lost. And as for all of you, just think- If you don't find them, you'll all be in the Underground- together, forever- and if you do, then you'll all be free." He paused here, as though thinking to himself. "Well, except for whoever loses the fight," he admitted, "They'll be dead." Releasing Mab's wrist, he pushed her away from him with enough force to send her reeling backwards. He gestured lazily, and two gates in the side of the wall swung open.

"I must say, I'm curious about how the three of you will attempt this. Please try and make it entertaining- life can get so boring here." He sniggered, and vanished, leaving behind him the faint sound of mocking laughter, and Merlin, Frik and Mab staring at each other, unmoving.

_Another Author's Note: Sorry, this part is shorter than the last two parts- but it would like me to convey that it deeply wishes for reviews, please! Excuse me, I have to go and hum "See the Little Goblin" some more…_


	5. Enter the Labyrinth

Chapter 4: Enter the Labyrinth

_Author's Note: Well, finally, the story takes us inside the Labyrinth. Yay. Also, as promised, will be going inside Jareth's head. Well, not literally. Brain surgery won't feature in the story, there being a lack of qualified surgeons and all (also lack of brains for them to perform surgery on- See goblins- not the brightest or most hygienic of creatures.)_

_Ladylillith, thank you for your comments. I do try my hardest to keep everybody in character when I am writing- except for Jareth, who I am making as nasty as possible- and you're right, Mab is a bloody difficult character to write, so I'm glad everyone is in character. You are right; Jareth is indeed a sick man. In future, I will give you prior warning before any mention of wedding dresses. I don't think there will be any in this chapter though, don't worry. _

The three of them stood perfectly still, as though the scene was a particularly lifelike painting. Merlin and Mab were staring at each other, Frik was staring nervously between both of them, darting occasional glances towards the door of the Labyrinth.

Mab knew what the two of them were thinking. They would be thinking the same as her. On the one hand, they could try and put their difficulties –_difficulties_ being, of course, an understatement- aside, and attempt to work together to solve the Labyrinth before their 13 hours ran out, then let Arthur and Mordred battle it out equally, and pray that the outcome would be to their advantage. On the other hand, they could go their separate ways, attempt to solve the Labyrinth before the other, and help give their respective protégé an advantage in the upcoming battle. But then there was a risk of the others solving the Labyrinth first, and then of course, there was the fact that Mab, Merlin and Frik together would most probably be able to solve the Labyrinth faster than Merlin and Frik without Mab, or Mab on her own, thus giving them a better chance of solving the Labyrinth within the stated thirteen hours.

Mab wasn't stupid. No matter how much more powerful she was than Frik and Merlin, Jareth would have seen to it that her powers would give her no advantage in finding the castle more quickly than they could. Jareth would also try his utmost to prevent her from getting there on time, and if he succeeded… Mab didn't even want to think about that particular possibility. Better to spend thirteen hours in the company of Merlin and Frik than to spend all of eternity with Jareth.

But if Mab was intelligent, she was also proud. She would agree to a truce if a truce was suggested, but she would not be the one to suggest it. It would seem far too much like pleading for help from the two traitors, and she would not give them that satisfaction. It was merely a case of wait-and-see if Merlin or Frik were intelligent enough to realise the mutual advantage of putting their own personal crusade for revenge aside.

Staring at them both with narrowed eyes, she waited for one of them to speak- she knew someone would break the silence and suggest something soon, if not to ease the tension that was palpable in the air around them, then at least to try and hurry the proceedings along before any more time was wasted. Eventually, Merlin cleared his throat.

"Perhaps," he began cautiously, "Perhaps it would be better for all of us if we were to…" He looked as though the words were leaving a particularly nasty taste in his mouth, "…To call a truce for now, until we've solved the Labyrinth." Mab stared at him unnervingly for a moment, then gave the smallest of nods.

"Very well. But mark this, Merlin, after thirteen hours, the truce ends. You and I still have old scores to settle." Merlin nodded.

"Naturally," Merlin replied evenly. Frik, standing next to him, looked considerably unenthusiastic about this new turn of events, but –rather wisely- decided not to say anything.

The three unlikely allies turned towards the Labyrinth, and walked through the gates.

Frik was the first to enter. He looked from one side to another, evidently rather surprised by what he saw.

"Well," he remarked, "It's not like any maze I've ever seen before."

Mab followed him inside. It didn't take long to see what had caused him to make the remark. There were two paths- one to the left, one to the right. Both ran completely straight for as far as the eye could see. There didn't appear to be any turnings, or any paths leading off to the rest of the maze from what she could see. She stared down both paths suspiciously- she couldn't for the life of her see where to go to start making progress towards the Goblin Castle.

Merlin entered behind her, confusion apparent on his face when he saw what Mab and Frik had seen. He went to speak, when the entrance closed behind him with a mighty bang that made all three of them jump and look back.

"Well," said Merlin slowly, "It appears we're stuck here now."

"Why, Merlin, are you thinking of giving up already?" Mab taunted, unable to resist a dig at Merlin's expense. Merlin glared at her. Frik, anxious to diffuse the situation- or to save himself from an outbreak of Mab's volatile temper – spoke up chirpily.

"Well, which way should we go?" he asked. "The perfectly straight path on the left, or the perfectly straight path on the right?" No-one answered for a moment as they all peered down both paths, trying to determine which looked the most promising.

"The path on the right has more branches on the floor," Merlin volunteered.

Mab sneered, "Oh good. It all becomes clear." Frik merely stared blankly at Merlin. Feeling rather stupid, Merlin turned red.

"Well, it's the only difference I could see. Neither of you volunteered anything useful, either," he said crossly.

"Right. Well then, in the absence of any other clues, may I suggest we follow Master Merlin's route?" Frik asked tentatively. Mab shrugged.

"Why not? We might find more branches, or something equally useful," she replied, her rasping voice laden with sarcasm.

Merlin politely waited for Frik to go first.

"Oh, no, please Master Merlin. You go first, I insist," said Frik, who was darting nervous glances at some kind of fungal growth that appeared to have eyes.

Merlin began walking, followed closely –and nervously- by Frik, and not so closely by Mab. At first, they walked cautiously and quietly, avoiding every branch and twig on the floor, in case they turned out to be snakes, or something equally unpleasant and dangerous. However, after the first few dozen yards or so, when there was still no turnings or corners in sight, they began to get impatient, moving quicker, and stepping on or over the plant debris that littered the floor. They came to a standstill when the perpetually nervous Frik stepped on a branch that snapped with a sharp, loud crack, causing him to jump about six feet into the air, then trip over the large log in front of him and fall flat on his face. Ignoring the gnome's groan of pain, Mab stepped neatly over him and drew level with Merlin, staring out into the distance.

"This is pointless!" she snapped in frustration, "There's nothing there."

"Of course there is," replied Merlin, "There must be a turning somewhere along here, if we carry on long enough."

"We don't have "_long enough_"!" Mab snapped back. "Perhaps _you_ don't mind the possibility of spending eternity as one of Jareth's possessions, I do!"

"What?" asked Merlin in irritation and mock surprise, "The mighty Queen of the Old Ways is actually frightened? Are you scared of Jareth, Mab?" Mab hissed in fury, and Merlin drew back a little.

"Not as scared as you are of me, dear Merlin." Mab cooed in mock fondness, the singsong tone she was attempting somewhat spoilt by her harsh voice. Her unnaturally bright and piercing eyes seemed to glint dangerously, until Merlin was forced to look away. Satisfied that she had made her point, Mab drew back a little. "If you're so sure that there's a turning ahead, then continue," she said in a voice laced with cruel amusement, holding her arm out and pointing down the path.

Turning away from Mab, Merlin quickened his pace, until he was running down the path- still, no end was in sight. Behind him, he could hear Mab and Frik quicken their footsteps to keep up with him. He continued to run, running until his legs ached and his chest hurt, but there was still nothing. Behind him, he heard Frik call out.

"Wait… stop… Master Merlin…can't run anymore… stop." Merlin couldn't have run any further either. He slowed to a halt, breathing hard and clutching his chest. Frik drew level with him, and fell to his knees, gasping and wheezing, trying to gulp as much air into his lungs as possible. Mab looked in somewhat better form than either of them, but she still looked slightly paler, more breathless and more dishevelled than before. She also looked angrier.

"I told you. There's nothing there. This is one of Jareth's tricks," she ground out between gasps of air.

"There has to be," Merlin said desperately, but with considerably less confidence than previously.

"No, there doesn't!" Mab said, in loud exasperation. Merlin would have tried to shush her, but his lungs weren't up to large scale air expulsion, and besides, it probably wouldn't have worked. She continued. "This isn't the mortal realm. It's the Underground. This is Jareth's challenge. If we lose, then he gains a lot. If we win, he gets nothing. Did you really think he would make it easy for us?" Merlin didn't answer. Mab leant against the wall, her face stormy. No-one spoke for a while. Frik went to open his mouth a few times, then thought better of whatever it was that he was about to say, and closed it again. What could he say after all? The three of them had gambled their freedom on this challenge, and suddenly the odds stacked against them seemed to have become impossibly high.

In his palace in the Goblin City, Jareth lounged on his throne, staring at the scene in another crystal ball. He smiled nastily, as the realisation that they might actually fail his challenge crossed the faces of Mab, Merlin and Frik.

"_Not giving up so soon are we, dearest?_" he murmured to Mab's image, as rage and frustration clouded her beautiful features. He didn't really expect it of them- he was certain Mab would keep going until the end, and he very much suspected that Merlin would, too- desperation might even force the snivelling coward Frik to do the same. He knew that in all likelihood they would find their way into the rest of the maze soon enough, and then he would set more traps for them, more illusions, more tricks, until they either gave up or ran out of time. One thing was certain- they wouldn't reach the castle in time, not whilst Mab and Merlin were still constantly bickering and sniping at each other, and when they lost, Jareth would have a ringside seat to see the shock, the desolation, and the horror on their faces. He particularly wanted to see the look on Mab's face when she realised that she would forever belong to Jareth, with no chance of escape. It would absolutely destroy her, much more so than what Merlin had done to her. Having to bow down to and obey someone else- particularly when that someone was Jareth- was something that he knew the Queen of Air and Darkness would never be able to bear. The nasty smile teetered for a moment on the brink of downright evil as he thought that.

Thinking about it, he was actually rather glad that Mab had declined his original offer, forcing him to blackmail her into running the Labyrinth. Now he could use the threat of hurting Mordred to ensure her continued obedience. She could not be allowed to defy him as Sarah had…

Thinking about Sarah, as always, awoke a deep, black pool of anger within him. Sarah had been his one weakness- the girl he had fallen in love with, who had completed his Labyrinth, exposed his heart and weaknesses, humiliated him in front of all his subjects, and then had the nerve to turn away from his love, deny him her own love in return, caused him to become bitter, cold and cruel.

He had vowed he would never let that happen again. He would crush those who had laughed at him, and mocked him, show them that he was a force to be reckoned with. Sarah was shielded from his powers because of the words she had spoken- _You have no power over me_- but anything or anyone else he wanted, he would have, whether they came to him willingly, or whether he had to take them by force.

And, he thought as he watched the scene continue to unfold in his crystal, Mab and Merlin would make an excellent start. They didn't belong to him- yet- but he could still make them suffer, he could still affect their lives. It would certainly be interesting watching them try and complete his Labyrinth- almost as fun as it would be seeing them fail.

He did so love it when a challenger put up a good fight- and was brought to a standstill.

After a few minutes, Merlin stood up decisively, and glanced forward, in a way that indicated that he planned to carry on walking. Frik clambered to his feet, looking uncertain. Mab went to step away from the wall, to find that her hair was caught on a branch protruding from one of the walls. Gritting her teeth, she went about disentangling it.

"We should carry on," said Merlin.

"Are you sure that's wise Master Merlin?" Frik asked, nervous and tired.

"No, it's not," Mab snapped before Merlin could reply, still trying to untangle her hair from the branch. "It's idiotic. This path wouldn't end if we walked along it for thirteen years, never mind thirteen hours." Trying to ignore Mab, Merlin replied to Frik.

"We can't just sit here and give up."

"But there's nothing here!" Frik moaned piteously. Merlin tried to reassure him.

"Frik, somewhere along this path there must be a corner, or turning, or…"

"A door!" Mab's voice interrupted from behind, sounding surprised, or at least, as close to surprise as it ever sounded.

"Exactly," Merlin said to Frik, puzzled as to why Mab was suddenly backing him up. He wasn't looking, so he didn't see Mab roll her eyes at his back.

"_No_!" she growled irritably, "I meant there is a door here." Merlin and Frik turned back in surprise, to find Mab looking at what appeared to be a plain stretch of wall.

"Mab, that's the wall," said Merlin, cautiously, wondering if Mab was hallucinating out of desperation. Mab rolled her eyes again- she was getting very good at it- and stepped in a direction that should have taken her into the wall near Merlin and Frik. She vanished completely. Merlin and Frik stared at the spot where she had been moments before, which was now completely empty. Frik, whirled around in a wild circle, looking in every direction, including upwards, as though Mab was suddenly going to appear in the air above him.

"Mab!" Merlin called, "Where are you? This isn't funny!" He assumed she'd turned herself invisible, either to trick them or just to make fun of them. Then, as quickly as she'd vanished before, Mab appeared to step out of the wall.

"I thought you said you couldn't walk through these walls?" Merlin asked suspiciously.

"I didn't," Mab explained slowly, as though she was talking to a particularly dim-witted child, "There is a hidden doorway here. It leads to the rest of the Labyrinth. Now do you understand?"

"I can't see it," said Merlin, staring intently at the wall. Mab hissed in frustration, and pulled Merlin and Frik in front of her so that they were looking at it from the same angle that she was. Merlin's eyes widened, as he saw the narrow gap in the wall that was virtually impossible to see from any other angle.

"Now do you see it?" Mab demanded. Both men nodded. "Good." She released their arms, giving them a push forward for good measure. They entered the narrow gap, and entered another pathway, one that was filled with twists and turns and overlapping paths. Ahead of them was a signpost of some variety, except there were no signs on it, just skeletal hands pointing in every direction, with no writing to indicate what they pointed to. Over the top of the walls, they could see the rest of the Labyrinth, and beyond that, the Goblin City and Jareth's castle.

"Ah!" said Frik happily, "This is much more like it. This is what a maze should look like." Unseen by one another, Mab and Merlin rolled their eyes at his misplaced enthusiasm, and began walking forward.

In his castle, Jareth laughed bitterly. Trust Mab to be the one to find the hidden doors. Still, it didn't really matter. They still had a long way to go, and the hardest part was yet to come.

And the clock was ticking…

_Author's Note: Yes, we finally got to see what makes Jareth tick. And, wouldn't you know, he blames Sarah for everything. Typical bad guy._


	6. Riddles and Lies

**Chapter 5: Riddles and Lies**

_Author's Note: Ah, another chapter. And thus, we continue our progress around the Labyrinth._

_I do not think there will be any wedding dress mentions in this chapter. :later: Actually, now I've finished the chapter, there is wedding dress mention- I took the liberty of drawing up a proper warning to this effect for ladylillith and other readers. See below._

_Warning to ladylillith: Wedding dress imagery in this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you!_

In the dungeons of the Goblin Castle, a young man sat with his back up against the wall, arms crossed in front of him, glaring at the goblins who stood guarding the door to his cell with a look of such menace that it made them squirm uncomfortably, and they were visibly glad when they were relieved of duty.

Mordred had only been in the Underground for a few scant hours, but already he hated goblins with a ferocity that would have made Mab proud. He also hated the dungeon, the castle as a whole, and the Goblin King, whom he had spoken to- or, more accurately, shouted at- earlier. He also hated lots of other things that were unconnected with the Underground- cats, flowers and the colour pink being some of them- but that was immaterial at this point in time.

To tell the truth, Mordred didn't really know why he was here. Jareth had mentioned something about Auntie Mab when he'd spoken to him earlier, but Mordred had been too busy being angry to pay attention. He'd also mentioned something about Arthur being a prisoner as well- Mordred gritted his teeth at the very thought of the father that he hated so much. If he was here too, Mordred could only hope that they were kept very far away from each other.

Mordred hoped that his Auntie Mab was in the Underground. She would get him out of there, and make sure that the Goblin King suffered for what he'd done- something Mordred hoped to witness. Then he could get back to work dispatching Arthur.

---

As Mordred waited not-so-patiently for Mab to come and get him out of the Goblin Castle, Mab was making her way through the Labyrinth with Merlin and Frik. They'd started out by trying to head in the rough direction of the Goblin Castle, but then they'd realised that every time they looked, the castle seemed to have moved to another direction. So, for the last few hours, Merlin and Mab had been following Frik through the Labyrinth, who was working from something he'd once heard about mazes- that if you kept your right hand on the wall at all times, it would eventually lead you to the centre.

Mab trailed behind the other two. Up ahead, Merlin and Frik were engaged in conversation about something that, from what Mab could hear, was fairly unimportant. She had no desire to join the conversation, and doubted that she would have been welcomed to do so anyway. So she walked silently behind them, lost in her own thoughts and fears.

Mab was now wholly at the mercy of somebody else. In the mortal realm she'd been one of the Elemental Rulers- the four most powerful beings within the mortal realm, and in the Land of Magic, she had been Queen, wielding the total power and control that Jareth wielded here. She'd always been the one in control, and she'd liked it that way. Yes, she'd battled with Merlin, and that had ultimately ended in her defeat, but that had been a battle, and this wasn't. Having to solve this absurd challenge of Jareth's was tiring, humiliating and grating on her nerves, but, as attractive an option as simply giving up now was, Mab knew she would never do that. That would be like admitting that Jareth was more powerful than she was, not to mention it would mean becoming his wife.

Mab had given up trying to forget what was at stake when she had started to tire. The utter revulsion she felt at the prospect of losing and becoming Queen of the Underground gave her a good deal of drive and determination, much in the same way that pride and anger had kept her going during her time travelling through the Void.

"_Queen of the Underground?_" she thought derisively, "_That's laughable- I wouldn't be a queen in anything but name. Jareth wouldn't give anyone else equal right to rule his precious kingdom, especially me. It would give me too much power, especially as I'm more powerful than him anyway. He just wants to own me because he knows how humiliating it would be for me._" She knew that sounded arrogant and self-important, but the words were true. Jareth had become bitter and twisted –correction, _more_ bitter and twisted- since his Labyrinth had been solved the first time. She suspected more had happened between Jareth and the girl than simply her beating the Labyrinth. He had always had a rather twisted sense of fun, a taste for trickery and illusion, and been selfish and possessive, but now all these qualities had increased tenfold, and any redeeming features he may have once possessed were long gone. Mab had no doubt that the opportunity to make the powerful former Queen of Magic pay for all the times she had rejected him and shown herself to be more powerful than he was, was an opportunity too tempting for the new and not-so-improved Jareth to pass up. Ending up forever trapped in the Underground, a prisoner in all but name, forever at Jareth's beck and call, to be used and discarded at his whim as part of his mad schemes, and Mab shuddered to think what else it would mean. Yes, Jareth would certainly see that as suitably entertaining. He would use her, and humiliate her, until she broke apart completely. He would slowly destroy her, and he would enjoy it, and when there was nothing left of her to destroy- or nothing that mattered anyway, she doubted he would kill her- he wouldn't care, except insofar as he would have to find a new form of entertainment, and then he would laugh and boast about it, about how the high and mighty Queen Mab had finally got her just rewards. She would be nothing, except a body that would soon fade away again once her spirit had been broken, and one of Jareth's victories. And who would mourn her? Mordred? Possibly, if he lived long enough to see it- he aged at twice the normal mortal speed, and thus his life would be short. Jareth wouldn't bother keeping him alive very long. Merlin? The thought was fairly laughable. Frik? Hardly- he might be too afraid of her to insult her now, but Mab wasn't stupid enough to think it meant he liked her. She doubted he ever had. Certainly she'd never, or at least very rarely, liked him. There was no-one else she could think of. What a very depressing thought.

That was why Mab would beat the Labyrinth at all costs. She had to, there couldn't be any other outcome. She wouldn't let there be.

Thinking about Merlin and Frik made her look up at them. They stood to lose a lot, too. Jareth might not take the same delight in tormenting them that he would with Mab, but still, their lives would be far from comfortable, in fact, bearable was the best they could hope for, and that was a long shot. She wondered how they would cope with it, if they had even realised just what they would lose if they failed. It would have been easy for Mab to say that she hoped they would lose, and that Merlin would suffer for what he'd done to her, but the fact was, they were working together- if Merlin lost, she lost, and she definitely didn't want that.

Just as that moment, a flash of light caught her eye, and she looked to her right to see several of Jareth's crystal balls hovering nearby. Just ahead, Merlin and Frik appeared to have noticed them, too, and were staring at them uneasily.

"What are they doing?" asked Merlin uncertainly, reaching out to touch one.

"Don't touch it!" Frik shrieked shrilly. Merlin drew back as if he had been scalded.

"Why?" he asked. Frik gave him a look of impatience.

"Master Merlin, do you honestly think it's a good idea to just poke at something that has come from a known enemy? Do you mortals have any common sense at all?"

"So what do you suggest we do?" said Merlin. Frik stared at him for a moment, then stared at the suspiciously hovering crystals. After a moment he looked back to Merlin and shrugged. Both of them turned to face Mab questioningly. If the circumstances hadn't been quite so dire, Mab would have been gloating over the fact that they needed her help, and refusing to give it. As it was, she knew speed was of the essence.

"Ignore them," she instructed. Merlin and Frik looked at them doubtfully.

"Are you sure?" Merlin asked. "What if they do something?"

"They're not at the moment," Mab pointed out, "We have to keep moving. Go!" she snapped a minute later when Merlin and Frik still stood staring at them. They moved on, Frik darting nervous glances at the crystals, which were following them, and beginning to float closer.

As they walked, the crystals began to become annoying, floating closer and closer to them, and dancing around in front of their faces. Mab swatted at one in annoyance. As she touched it, she could hear Jareth's voice faintly, as though he was talking to her from the other side of the wall.

"_In nine hours and twenty three minutes, you'll be mine…_" Merlin and Frik also heard the voice, and turned rapidly around in a circle, looking in every direction, thinking that Jareth had appeared in the Labyrinth with them.

"I'm starting to genuinely hate this Jareth," said Merlin angrily.

"Just starting?" Mab asked shortly, swatting away three more crystal balls and starting to walk forward again.

It didn't seem to matter how many she swatted away, more and more kept appearing. Jareth's laughter appeared to be growing louder, but Merlin and Frik no longer seemed to be able to hear it, or perhaps they just weren't paying attention to it anymore.

Mab looked into one of the crystals in front of her face, more out of curiosity than anything else. For a moment she could only see herself reflected as she was now, in her long black robes and purple skirt, her hair long and flowing. As she stared, the image seemed to change subtly, her hair braided back and her robes growing paler. Her hand went to her hair and she stared down at her robes, but they both seemed their normal style and colour. She looked back to the crystal, and saw that the style of her robes also seemed to be changing, until her image in the crystal was wearing a long dress, with long sleeves and a flowing skirt, in the shade of white that usually only occurs naturally in freshly fallen snow. A wedding dress, Mab realised.

"_Very funny, Jareth_," she thought, without a trace of amusement. As though thinking his name had triggered it, the image in the crystal widened, to show Jareth standing next to her, smirking. Mab glanced behind her to check that Jareth wasn't really there. Reassured that it was just an image, she looked back. Jareth had his arm round the waist of her image, and he appeared to be staring out of the crystal, his eyes boring unnervingly into Mab's, as though he could see her there –which, Mab realised after a moment- he probably could. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Jareth pulled her image closer to him, and, still staring tauntingly and unblinkingly at Mab, brought his lips down to hers and kissed her.

Furious and repulsed, Mab snatched the crystal out of the air, and, without stopping, threw it against a nearby wall hard enough to shatter it. Merlin and Frik stopped mid conversation and turned around to stare at her. At their curious glances, Mab, not wanting to explain her sudden outburst of temper, glared threateningly at them until they turned around and resumed their conversation.

She clenched her fists in fury, knowing full well that Jareth had wanted to anger her, and he had succeeded. She wouldn't let the loathsome creature have that satisfaction again. She would finish this Labyrinth, and when she confronted Jareth at the end, she would be as cold and cruel as she knew how, and she would make him pay. A lot.

---

A few minutes later, they encountered a problem. Frik, still following his right hand, rounded a corner only to find that it had led him to a dead end, that he was sure he had seen before.

"Ah…," he said tentatively.

"Your method doesn't appear to be working, Frik," Merlin pointed out. Frik looked insulted at the suggestion that he might have actually got something wrong. Cowardly and lazy he may be- Frik freely admitted that- but he was also intelligent, with a vast knowledge that came from years of reading, snooping and playing lackey to the Queen of Magic.

"No, no, Master Merlin. The method is faultless- you simply keep following your right hand…" Frik trailed off, deep in thought, "…or was it left?..."

"Frik…" Mab snarled warningly. The kind of warning that meant, "_If you've been leading us round the wrong way for the last two hours, you're going to be spending the rest of your thirteen hours scraping your remains off the floor._"

"Um…I'm sure it was right," Frik whispered in a voice so frightened that it turned into a squeak partway through. Mab glared at him, and he recognised the look in her eyes right before she sent him flying backwards into a wall, in a manner reminiscent of old times.

"Owwww," he groaned. Mab advanced on him again.

"If you have been leading us the wrong way, this will be the least of your worries, Frik!" she informed him angrily.

"Mab…" Merlin warned, trying to stop her without arousing her volatile temper. "Calm down. You're not helping." Mab turned round to Merlin, her eyes flashing.

"Calm, Merlin? Need I remind you what happens if we fail this challenge? And this fool may well have been leading us in the wrong direction for the last two hours. I'd say that considering the circumstances I'm remarkably calm," she hissed dangerously, in a voice that implied she was about to become less than remarkably calm.

"Yes, I'm sure you are," said Merlin reasonably, hoping to prevent Mab from getting any angrier. "But hurting Frik is still not helpful to anyone, you included."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Mab raged. Evidently, Merlin had failed. "You lost that right years ago."

"I never had that right in the first place," Merlin pointed out, before realising it was not a wise thing to provoke her even more. Mab glared at him, but before she could send him flying against the wall, a voice spoke up.

"Och, are you gonnae try the doors soon or sit there all day fighting?" The voice sounded impatient, as well as having a pronounced Scottish accent. Mab and Merlin turned to see that what had been a dead end had suddenly become a wall with two doors in it, a sentry standing outside each one. Both sentries held a large shield in front of their bodies- one was red, one was blue- and a head protruded over the top and bottom of each shield. The heads slightly resembled dogs, but severely strange looking ones.

"Wasn't this a dead end a moment ago?" Merlin asked unsurely.

"No, that's the dead end behind you," informed the blue sentry, the one on the left. Merlin turned back the way they had come, to see that it was correct- a large wall blocked their path. He turned back to face the doors.

"The only way out of here," said the red sentry, "Is through one of these doors."

"One of them leads to the castle," said the other. Frik smiled with relief.

"That's good," he said.

"The other door leads to…" the sentry continued. The two then spoke together, as one, "… certain death." Frik's smile dropped like a lead balloon.

"That's not as good," he said, unnecessarily.

"Well?" demanded Mab, "Which is which?" There was a pause.

"We can't tell you," admitted the blue sentry. "You have to ask us."

"Only one of us, mind," instructed the red sentry.

"And remember," His counterpart continued, "One of us always tells the truth…"

"And one of us always lies," the red sentry finished. Then he added, "I tell the truth, he always lies."

"I do not!" the blue sentry cried, looking indignant, "I tell the truth!"

"Oh, what a lie!" the red sentry laughed back.

"Enough!" Mab exploded, interrupting the argument which she had been watching impatiently. "Be quiet!" The sentries were cowed into silence. Frik suddenly jumped up, looking breathlessly excited.

"I know this!" he said, "This is a simple riddle." Mab looked sceptical.

"And you knew how to get through the maze, Frik?" she asked sarcastically. Frik had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Well, yes… but I know this! Trust me," he pleaded. Mab just stared at him, and Frik realised that she perhaps wasn't the best person to try and reason with, particularly in this situation.

"Try it, Frik." Merlin suggested. Frik walked up to the door on the left.

"Alright," he began nervously, "Would he…" he pointed to the other sentry, "… tell me that this door leads to the castle?" The blue sentry pondered this for a moment, then ducked beneath the shield to consult with his lower head. He poked his head back up and peered at Frik.

"Yes," he replied.

"Ah!" said Frik triumphantly, "Then I know it must be the other door."

The blue sentry looked confused. "What if he's telling the truth?"

"Then you would be lying," pointed out Frik, "So you would lie to me about what he said, so I know this door is the wrong one." The sentry didn't appear to comprehend.

"But what if he's lying?"

"Then he would tell us the wrong door, anyway," said Mab, who was beginning to catch on, "And you're telling us what he would say. So, even if you're telling us the truth, it's still the wrong door."

"Um…" the red sentry said uncertainly, still confused. Frik walked up to the other door and opened it, gesturing for Merlin and Mab to go in first. Mab rolled her eyes, the new, happy, confident and smug Frik was getting on her nerves already. She walked forward through the door, Merlin close behind her.

"I still don't understand it," one of the sentries grumbled, "They didn't explain it any better than the other girl…"

Frik was about to go through the door after Merlin, but stopped and turned to try and explain the riddle again. Mab rolled her eyes.

"Frik!" she demanded, "Hurry…" She didn't manage to finish the sentence, because at that moment, the stone slab beneath her and Merlin seemed to vanish, and with a cry, the two of them plummeted downwards.

_Author's Note: I'm starting to pity Jareth, simply because I'm making him so mean and evil! Seriously, it's got to the point where every time I watch Labyrinth I'm apologising to the Jareth in the film. Actually, he said there's no problem, as long as I can send him Jennifer Connelly. I think we may have to negotiate a little bit…_

_Anyway, back in reality, I would like very much to have lots of reviews for this chapter. Pleeease! puts on best pleading face Feedback is the food that keeps an author going. _


	7. Down in the Dungeons

**Chapter 6: Down in the Dungeons**

_Author's Note: Negotiations with Jareth have been completed! I can make him as nasty as I like in exchange for 3 pairs of opaque tights, some blue eye-shadow and a copy of "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"._

_Back in reality, we must continue with the story- read on…_

Mab plummeted down at least fifty feet, before she felt herself being grabbed by several hands. Several of them caught her hair in a painful grip. About ten feet above her, Merlin was suspended, also held by the moving hands that protruded from the wall.

"Ouch!" she complained. To her surprise, two of the hands made themselves into the shape of a face, which, as they moved their hands, spoke.

"Would you like us to let go?" it giggled. The effect was amusing, strange, and fairly eerie. Mab wrinkled her nose in distaste, and then realised, too late, that it might be prudent to answer the question.

"No!" she cried as the hands abruptly let go of her. A few feet further down, more hands caught her again. She heard Merlin speaking to the hands that held him above her, and listened, trying to discern what he was saying.

----

Merlin stared at the hands in shock for a while. Below him, he heard Mab cry out, and he could just about see her suspended several feet below him if he craned his head around. He couldn't see Frik anywhere, leading him to guess that Frik must still be up at the top.

"Frik!" he called loudly, "We could use some help."

"What do you mean help?" asked one of the hand-faces, sounding fairly indignant. "We are helping."

"We're the Helping Hands," another one informed Merlin.

"Oh," said Merlin, uncertain as to what to say to this strange pronouncement. Quite frankly, the only help they seemed to be providing was to help his arms disconnect from his shoulders, "An important job?"

"Of course," yet another hand-face responded, puffing up with pride, if that was possible. "If we weren't here, who would catch the poor fools that fall down here? No-one, that's who. You'd have been a big splattered mess on the floor otherwise."

"True," agreed Merlin.

"Now," said the first hand-face, "Which way?"

Merlin was confused. "Pardon?" Numerous hand-faces began to explain it.

"Up or down?"

"Which way do you want to go?"

Naturally, Merlin's first impulse was to say "Up", but for a moment, he paused. Hadn't Frik said that the door was definitely the right way to Goblin Castle? Perhaps this hole led part of the way to the castle- after all, if this was just a trap, why would Jareth have bothered placing the helping hands there?

"Perhaps I should go down…" Merlin mused aloud. The helping hands let out a sudden burst of laughter.

"He chose down! He chose down!" they sang out in an evil-sounding chant. Merlin felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, which was only intensified by Mab's furious scream from below him.

"No, you idiot!"

"Wait!" Merlin tried desperately, clasping at the hands.

"Too late now," a hand face laughed back, as all of the remaining hands loosed their grip on Merlin. He fell down, clutching at the sides, gathering speed, then realised what was about to happen about two seconds before he crashed into Mab, and his momentum tore her away from the rest of the helping hands and downwards. A few metres down, the tunnel ended, and Mab and Merlin fell through several thick cobwebs into a large chamber, where they landed, painfully, on a stone floor. Looking up, Merlin saw a large metal grill fall into place over the hole they had just fallen through, and through it, he could hear the faint strains of the helping-hands' mocking laughter.

----

Back in the Goblin City, Jareth –who had seen the whole thing in one of his crystal balls- was in fits of laughter. He was laughing harder than he had in months- he was doubled over, clutching his ribs, and his eyes were streaming enough to make his eye-makeup run. He had expected them not to give up. He had expected them to solve the riddle. He had expected at least one of them to fall through the trapdoor- but to have Merlin and Mab _both_ fall through it, and then for Merlin to choose down and bring Mab down into the Oubliette with him…

"Oh, well done Merlin!" he gasped, between gales of laughter. "Absolutely classic. Couldn't have planned it better myself."

----

Frik stared down into the long, narrow shaft that Mab and Merlin had disappeared down. He couldn't see either of them, just a tunnel of almost pitch-blackness, with things clinging to the walls that appeared to be moving.

"Master Merlin?" he called tentatively. No answer. "Mab?" Again, nothing. Frik didn't know what to do. He didn't want Merlin to get hurt –although he wouldn't particularly have minded Mab meeting a painful end in the tunnel- but equally, if something had happened to them , Frik had no intention of following them into the tunnel and allowing it to happen to him as well.

Eventually, he got to his feet and moved away from the hole. Whatever had happened to them, there was nothing he could do to help just standing here. He would have to carry on trying to get to the castle before they all ran out of time, and hope that Merlin and Mab would meet up with him on the way.

As he moved away from the tunnel, he heard a scraping noise. He looked back to see that the entrance had closed up completely.

----

Merlin was dazed for a few moments after they landed, staring up at the now closed off entranceway in horror. He was brought down to Earth by a movement beneath him, and Mab's voice.

"Get off me!" she hissed sharply. Merlin realised that he must have fallen on top of her. He hastily scrambled to his feet and backed off several paces before Mab could fling him against the wall. In the very dim light from the tunnel, he saw Mab pull herself upright, and dust herself off with slow deliberation. From what Merlin could see, she looked almost rigidly composed. Which probably meant she was blindingly furious, and about to cause Merlin a lot of pain. She looked up at him, and Merlin saw her eyes flash dangerously. He was right. With nothing but a slight narrowing of her eyes, she flung Merlin backwards against the wall, which he hit with a dull thud. He pulled himself upright, and went to throw up a shield before she could attack again, but before either of them could pull off any magic, the dim light from the tunnel began to disappear, until it vanished completely, leaving the chamber in pitch blackness.

Merlin peered around, trying to adjust his vision to the dark, but with absolutely no light whatsoever, even a wizard could not see. He staggered forward a few steps.

"Mab?" he called.

"I'm here, Merlin," she called back, in a voice that could have been coming from anywhere.

"That's not helpful," muttered Merlin, "I can't see you."

"I can see you," Mab replied. Merlin wasn't at all sure that was a good thing, and her tone of voice did nothing to reassure him.

"Where are you?" he asked, lurching forward again, trying in vain to see her.

"You're about to step on me," she informed him. Not wanting to anger her further, Merlin took a step back… and tripped over Mab's foot. He heard her snort derisively.

"That's not funny," he said through gritted teeth, pulling himself upright.

"Think yourself lucky it wasn't worse, Merlin," she whispered dangerously- Merlin could hear that she was absolutely serious. He struggled to his feet in the direction that he assumed Mab was in, and reached out to see if she was her. His hand touched her face and she slapped it away.

"Don't do that!" she snapped irritably.

"Where are we?" Merlin asked.

"We're in the Oubliette."

"The what?"

"We're in a dungeon." Mab explained in simpler terms. When she spoke next, her voice was choked with rage. "You _idiot_! How could you have been so stupid? We were going the right way! We could have done it, could have beaten Jareth. We had a chance. And you've condemned us both."

"Mab, we can still do it, if we move fast enough we can make up for lost time." Merlin reassured. "We just have to find a way out." He suddenly thought he caught a glimpse of her eyes shining in the darkness, small orbs of vivid green. They stared unnervingly at him. Without speaking, Mab clicked her fingers, and light appeared from nowhere, lighting up the chamber so that Merlin could see it as she could. The walls were uneven and rocky, but thick. The floor was sandy in places, but solid nonetheless. The ceiling was high, and the only hole in it was the now darkened tunnel, its entrance barred here, and closed on the surface. Merlin understood what Mab was showing him. There was no way out. He looked towards her. She stared at him with a contemptuous expression.

"Which "way out", Merlin? Can you see one?" The anger and contempt in her graveyard voice was laced with something that sounded a foreign emotion coming from Mab. Hopelessness. Merlin didn't say anything. He didn't need to. "I thought not." She turned away from him. Merlin sank to the floor.

"So what do we do?" he asked Mab, not really expecting an answer.

"Do?" she asked incredulously, turning back to face him, "There's nothing we can do. We sit here and wait for our time to run out." After another pause, she spoke again. "What possessed you to say down?"

"I thought it might be the way to the castle…" Merlin trailed off. Mab turned away again, picking a rock off the floor and glaring at it as though it were her personal enemy. "I'm sorry," Merlin finished lamely. Mab turned sharply on her heel to face him.

""_Sorry_"," she mocked angrily, "Oh, that's alright then. We're trapped in here. We can't get out. Jareth is going to make our lives hell for the rest of eternity. But as long as you're _sorry_." Merlin could have sworn that he saw tears in Mab's eyes at this point, which scared him nearly as much as her furious temper. "It's too late for sorry. It's always too late with you, Merlin. Too little, too late."

"Why are you just giving up?" he asked her, "Why won't you fight?" It only served to worsen her anger.

"How dare you!" she hissed, angry beyond all human comprehension, "How dare you accuse me of not fighting. I've spent the last five hundred years fighting to exist. You tried to get me to stop, to give up. You and my sister told me I should accept the death of the Old Ways. I didn't. I fought. I refused to give up, because I knew what would happen to me if I didn't. I've fought this far through the Labyrinth because I know what Jareth will do to me if I lose. Don't you dare say I don't fight."

"Then why aren't you fighting now?" Merlin pleaded.

"There's nothing to fight!" she cried in exasperation. "It won't do us any good."

"Oh, and standing there crying and doing nothing will?" demanded Merlin. Mab glared at him, then let out a terrible, ear-splitting roar of rage. It flung Merlin back against the far wall, it caught up the sand off the floor, and loose pieces of rock from the walls, and flung them around and around in a furious whirlwind. It caused a strangely flat piece of rock lying on the floor to tilt upwards and crash into the wall with an odd clicking noise. After a while, Mab's roar stopped, and the pieces of rock and sand fell to the floor. Mab stood in a cloud of dust, breathing hard, and still shooting a death glare at Merlin as he pulled himself away from the wall slowly and tentatively, hoping not to aggravate his fifty new bruises. He crossed the chamber to the piece of rock, which had remained apparently embedded in the wall, and attempted to pull it away from the wall. To his surprise, it came away from the wall as though it were a door on hinges. To his even greater surprise, when opened, what had been a bare stretch of wall appeared to now be a storage space, which, as Merlin opened the door, dropped several pots and pans out onto his foot.

"Ouch!" he complained, slamming the rock-door shut before more pans could fall out, and gripping his foot in pain. Mab stood at his side, staring at the door.

"Let me see," she commanded. Merlin moved away to allow her to move closer. Mab reached out to open it.

"No," Merlin informed her, "The other side." But, to his surprise, the door opened, revealing an entrance to a tunnel. The entrance was short- about waist height- but the tunnel itself appeared to be quite high. The two of them stared into the tunnel, then stared at each other.

"Well?" asked Merlin, "Should we go through it?" Mab raised an eyebrow.

"You'd rather stay here?" Without replying, Merlin turned back to the entrance, and ducked through it, Mab following him.

Rather than stepping into a tunnel, as they had first expected, they seemed to have entered a twisted corridor carved from the rock. Large stone faces stared out at them from every wall, which towered high above their heads. They went to follow it around a corner, when one of the faces boomed out at them.

"You're going the wrong way!" They jumped and turned to face it doubtfully.

"Is it telling the truth?" asked Merlin. Mab shrugged.

"I don't see any other path to follow. It could just be a false alarm." As they continued, more faces joined in.

"Turn back!"

"This is not the way!"

"Beware! Beware!"

More and more joined in yelling, adding to the cacophony. Merlin clapped his hands over his ears to prevent any damage to his hearing.

"SHUT UP!" Mab screamed loudly, dangerous magic beginning to crackle around her hands. All of the faces ceased their din, except one.

"The path you take…"

"Quiet!" Mab snapped at it. "Or you will be so many stone chippings on the floor."

"Oh, please," the face pleaded, in a quieter voice, with a slight northern accent. "I haven't been able to for such a long time." Mab rolled her eyes.

"Fine. But don't expect us to be impressed. I've killed creatures more impressive than you." The face looked distinctively nervous.

"Umm… actually, I… I have a sore throat. Perhaps I should rest it."

Mab smiled nastily at it. "Indeed." Mab turned away and began walking again. Merlin also turned away, mouthing "Sorry" to the stone face as he did so. Before the two of them could get very far, however, a crystal ball rolled between them, moving towards the end of the corridor, which led into a tunnel that appeared to run under the Labyrinth.

"Oh no," groaned Merlin.

Seeing no other possible course of action, the two of them followed it into the tunnel. Just inside sat a strange looking creature, dressed in a large heap of ragged clothes. It held a tin out in front of it, which the crystal ball seemed to jump into.

"Well, well, what have we here?" it asked in a high, nasal voice, peering at Merlin and Mab. Mab wasn't fooled.

"Jareth," she stated. The thing gave a cackling laugh, and Jareth stood upright, pulling off the disguise in one swift movement.

"Hello Mab, Merlin," he said, nodding to each of them respectively, "What a pleasant surprise to see you down here. What happened to your gnome friend?" Neither of them replied. He smirked. "No matter. He's really not important."

"What do you want now?" snapped Mab.

"Oh, I just wondered how you were finding the Labyrinth. Enjoying yourselves?"

"Not remotely," was Mab's reply.

"For once I agree with Mab," Merlin said.

"You know, you could always give up," said Jareth coaxingly, "Then you wouldn't have to do this any more. You could see your friends again."

"Never!" Mab snapped, "I'll never let you have me."

"You're going to lose anyway," said Jareth, "Why not just accept it?" The words were a long ago echo of what her sister had once said to her about the Old Ways being forgotten. "_It's fate. Accept it._" She hadn't accepted it then, and she wasn't about to accept fate now.

"I won't accept it!" she replied, "Is that all you wanted? You're wasting our time." Jareth laughed.

"I'm not the one who decided to take the circuitous underground route through the Labyrinth." Now it was Merlin's turn to glare at Jareth, turning slightly red as he did so. Unabashed, Jareth continued. "And no, since you ask Mab, I didn't just come down here to talk to you." Another nasty smile spread across his face, and he pulled out a crystal ball, which could only mean trouble. "I decided it was time to have the tunnels cleaned." With that, he tossed the crystal ball down the tunnel, away from Merlin and Mab. They peered into the darkness, but, as it was, they heard whatever was coming before they saw it- the sound of slicing blades and grinding wheels. Then the machine appeared- a huge contraption that appeared to be a large rotating circle, covered by blades sticking out at all angles, pointing forwards and looking dangerous. It filled the tunnel completely.

"Meet the cleaner," Jareth smirked, before stepping backwards and disappearing. Merlin stared at the machine in horror for a second, unable to believe that it would just keep heading straight for them, but it showed no signs of slowing. He turned back towards the tunnel entrance that lead back to the corridor, but it had vanished. He turned around and started running away from the cleaner.

"Come on! Run!" he yelled to Mab, unnecessarily, as she was already running. The two of them sprinted down the tunnel as fast as they could go, trying to outrun it. Merlin kept looking over his shoulder, and he could see that no matter how fast they were running, the cleaner was gaining on them. Ahead of him, Mab cried out and stumbled. He grabbed her arm before she could fall and pulled her along with him. Ahead of them, Merlin could see a large gate barring the tunnel. It looked locked. Merlin didn't know if it would pose a problem for the cleaner, but he didn't particularly want to get caught between them.

They reached the gate, and, as Merlin suspected, it was locked. Mab stepped backwards, and summoned a ball of magic, ready to blast the gate open, but, before she could, Merlin spotted a rickety wooden door along the side of the tunnel. If they could get that open, they would be out of the path of the cleaner.

"Wait, Mab!" he called, "Open this one!" He pushed it, trying to force it open. Mab turned to face the door and unleashed the ball of energy at it, shattering it into a thousand splinters. Merlin grabbed her and pulled her through the door just as the cleaner reached them. The two of them collapsed from sheer exhaustion, but still saw the cleaner pass them by, continuing on it's way along the tunnel. Merlin noted with amusement that it was run by a three small goblins peddling it from the back. Then he heard a screeching, ripping, crashing noise, as the cleaner passed through the iron gate blocking the tunnel, smashing it to pieces without so much as a pause.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up, and peered out into the tunnel after the cleaner.

"I never want to do that again," Mab hissed, pulling herself to her feet, and immediately sitting down again when the room began to spin. Merlin nodded in agreement.

"The tunnel isn't even that much cleaner," he observed. He heard Mab give a short laugh from behind him, as she pulled herself upright. He turned back to the rest of the chamber. A ladder was attached to the far wall, leading upwards as far as Merlin could see. "Come on," he told Mab, "We should try and head upwards again." The two of them began to climb. About halfway up, Merlin asked Mab.

"Why is Jareth suddenly after us? I'd never even heard of him before today."

"Because," Mab explained, with what passed in her for patience, "It's just what he does. He kidnaps people and then sets this challenge for the rescuers. He finds it entertaining."

"But why us?" Merlin asked, still not quite clear on this point. Mab thought for a few moments before replying.

"I don't know why he wants you, to be frank. Perhaps he just wants you as part of his collection."

"Charming man," Merlin said dryly. He suddenly realised that this was quite possibly the only civilised conversation he and Mab had ever had, bringing him to an abrupt and awkward silence. The idea of the two of them holding a civilised conversation was a topic that Merlin could not quite get to grips with. Reaching the top, he pushed aside the slab that covered the top of the ladder. Pulling himself up, he was surprised to find himself standing in what appeared to be a large ornamental vase in the middle of a courtyard of some kind. The walls of the Labyrinth were not stone here, but instead were large green hedges. He jumped out of the vase, into the courtyard. Behind him, Mab swung herself over the top of the vase with surprising agility and landed next to him.

Suddenly, an old man walked slowly into the courtyard. He was dressed in long robes, and wearing what appeared to be the long neck and head of a bird as a hat. As they approached, the bird saw them and squawked.

"Ah! Customers!" Merlin was surprised at the bird talking- generally, he found things with no body tended to be dead. He wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"Hello," he tried. The old man stared at him, looking tired.

"Greetings, young ones." Mab actually looked quite offended by this statement.

"I've existed from the beginning of time. I'm not young," she corrected. The man didn't reply, but that didn't stop the bird on his head.

"Well, you certainly look good for your age," he replied. "Much better than _him_," he said, nodding down at the old man, who glared up at him.

"_Be quiet!_" he demanded. The bird looked disgruntled and leaned back. "Now," the man continued, "How may I help you?"

"We're trying to get through the Labyrinth," Merlin replied. The bird interrupted again.

"No kidding!"

"_Be quiet_!" the old man snapped again.

"I don't suppose you know how to get through it, do you?" Merlin asked, not holding out much hope. The man sat quietly for a moment, not moving, seeming to consider the question. When he spoke again, he paused for effect.

"The road ahead of you is long and hard," he proclaimed.

"We're aware of that!" snapped Mab. The man stared at Merlin.

"You must be careful whom you trust, my friend." Once he had imparted this gem of wisdom, he turned to Mab, but not before the bird had rolled his eyes and chimed in.

"Ah, will you listen to this crap!" it exclaimed in irritation, "I hear this all day!"

"_Will you be quiet!_" the man snapped again. He turned back to Mab, "Remember, those who you consider enemies may turn out to be your greatest allies." Having said this, he settled back, and went to sleep.

"I think that's your lot," admitted the bird.

"That's it?" demanded Mab, "Vague warnings and nonsensical advice?" The bird nodded.

"Yep."

"A simple left or right might have been more use," Merlin told the bird.

"Don't look at me, I'm just the hat," it replied. "Please, feel free to leave a contribution in the donations box!" Mab just glared at it, until it shrank backwards and gulped.

"Hey, why don't you have this one on the house?" it offered nervously. Mab said nothing, just turned on her heel and walked away, Merlin swiftly following.

"Cheapskates," the hat muttered behind them, once they were out of hearing.

----

Frik trudged along, miserably. He wasn't having much luck finding his way through the maze so far, possibly because he was working from the theory of "If any kind of noise is coming from it, don't go there." Without Mab and Merlin to hide behind, the Labyrinth had become much more terrifying, which was why, when Jareth appeared in front of him, he screamed in a very high pitch, and jumped backwards.

The Goblin King said nothing, merely looked at Frik in a kind of amused distaste. When Frik realised that Jareth was not going to try and hurt, main or kill him, at least not for the moment, he spoke and attempted to sound brave and businesslike.

"Um, he-hello, Jareth… I mean, Your Majesty… I mean…" Frik trailed off, not quite sure _what_ he meant.

"Flip…" he began in a tone that seemed almost companionable, in a superior sort of fashion.

"Frik," Frik corrected in a small voice.

"Yes," Jareth continued unphased, "You appear to have misplaced your two companions."

"Um," Frik said, not really sure what else he could say.

"Oh, you needn't worry," said Jareth breezily, "I've seen them. They're both fine. Somewhat off course, but unhurt."

"Oh," said Frik uncertainly. He didn't know why Jareth was attempting to reassure him, but it was probably about to lead on to something very nasty indeed.

"You don't sound all that overjoyed about it," Jareth said questioningly, "I'd have thought you'd be glad. They are your friends after all."

"Queen Mab and I have never been friends," Frik corrected automatically. Jareth smirked.

"Ah, yes, of course. Such a tragic incident, that business with your Morgan." Frik was surprised that Jareth knew about it, and that he was bringing it up. "Mab can be so unreasonable when she loses her temper."

Frik was angry that Jareth seemed to be dismissing it so casually. "Unreasonable? You don't know the half of it. She's petty, and cruel, and as soon as Morgan had served her purpose, Mab didn't care what happened to her. She killed Morgan because she dared to challenge her. She doesn't deserve to get through this Labyrinth." Jareth looked interested when Frik said that.

"Oh, you think so?" he asked. Frik nodded.

"I don't want Master Merlin to end up trapped here. He doesn't deserve to be. But Mab… I can think of no-one more deserving. She should suffer for what she's done." Jareth smirked.

"Then why have you never tried to make her pay?"

"I helped Merlin defeat her," said Frik, "But that obviously wasn't quite as effective as we thought. And how could I ever hope to make her sorry? One de-magicked gnome against the Queen of Magic. Those aren't my favourite odds." Jareth nodded, as though he understood.

"Perhaps I can help on that score," Jareth suggested. Frik looked up in surprise.

"You?" Jareth smirked, and produced a crystal ball, tossing it to Frik. In mid air, it turned into a plain-looking bottle, filled with a clear liquid. Frik caught it, and stared at it uncertainly. "What is it?"

"It's a present for Mab."

"What will it do?" Frik asked, looking at the bottle uncertainly, wondering if it was poison. He wanted Mab to suffer, but to poison her outright was something the now-mortal Frik found slightly distasteful.

"You don't need to know," replied Jareth, "Suffice it to say that it will benefit both of us." When Frik still looked unsure, he continued impatiently, "Come now, Frik, don't you want to avenge your beloved? Did she not mean enough to you to even try to strike back at her killer?" Frik flared up inside at the words. Morgan had been the only person he'd ever loved, and the idea of not avenging her when he had the chance was something he found indescribably disturbing all of a sudden.

"What do I have to do?" he asked, slowly.

"Just get her to drink some. It doesn't have to be that much, a mouthful will do," Jareth informed him. Frik nodded tremulously.

"Hurry now, Frik," Jareth instructed him, "You'll have to try and find your friends quickly." Frik scuttled off, glad of an excuse to leave the Goblin King's company.

Behind him, Jareth snickered. Frik was a coward, and a bumbling fool, but bumbling cowards could often be convinced into things that brave warriors could not. Jareth would keep an eye on Frik, make sure he did what he was told, and when he gave Mab the potion, Merlin's idiotic heroism wouldn't allow him to leave Mab behind and continue on to the Goblin Castle. Mab and Merlin would be his- and it would be through the betrayal of their own ally.

_Author's Note: Ah, a nice long chapter. I'm off on holiday soon, so there won't be any new parts for a few weeks, but I'll try and get the next chapter posted ASAP after I get back. It would be really nice to get lots and lots of reviews to read when I get back. I take back what I said earlier, flames are now welcomed. Please!_


	8. The Other Door

**Chapter 7: The Other Door**

_Author's Note: Ah, it is so nice to have access to a computer again. Also, to be able to watch my lovely Merlin DVD. Two weeks is too long for me to go without Merlin. It is bad for my health._

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews! Midnight Lady and Jadanni, thanks for your kind comments and helpful suggestions. _

_Midnight Lady: No, Sarah won't be in the story, I'm afraid, but I think Jareth does still love her in a love/hate kind of way- otherwise why would he still be so bitter? Just out of interest, what was the ending you had worked out for me? I am going to put some stuff in the fic that wasn't in the film – this chapter, in fact. And I am going to put something in about Merlin dreaming about Nimue in a later chapter- I couldn't think of any way that Jareth could come up with for persuading Frik to give Merlin drugged liquid, or potion, or whatever it is, which is why I didn't put it in the last chapter . In reply to your review for Part 2, I can absolutely agree that Mab was nastier in the film, mainly because I have watched Merlin many times since I got back. And I would like to apologise for the makeup/ tights thing. They are not tights, they are leggings, and it is not makeup, it is… well, I'm not really sure what it could be classified as, but it's not makeup. But "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" remains part of the order, because it is a bloody good film. Also, about the sentries, if you asked them "Can I ask more than one question?" and they said "No," you'd be a bit buggered, because you'd have wasted your one question. I think._

_Jadanni: Ooh, yay, another Mab fan. Thanks for your comments; I'm glad you like the story. I agree, the old search engine was annoying, especially if you're looking for something that doesn't have a specific category, like Merlin. The new one is much better. I'm not "discouraged" as such by lack of reviews, but I do like to get them, and I'm lucky in that I now have a lot more reviews than some stories, so I can't complain. BTW, are you suggesting that people will use their school computers for looking on instead of for schoolwork? Disgraceful! I say, looking guilty as hell, having spent vast amounts of ICT lessons on the Internet . Also, I have to say that I'm not all that happy about my Merlin characterisation. I do try, but I'm not very good at it, possibly because I'm not a big fan of Merlin as a character- though I think Sam Neill's a good actor. I watched the film when I was at the impressionable age of 9 or 10- I forget, it was a long time ago- and by the end of it was firmly on Mab's side (but then, I didn't twig she was the bad guy until Nimue got burned by the dragon, so there you go). I actually like Frik, but I prefer Mab, Mordred, Vortigern… hmm, perhaps I just like villains? Anyway, I will try and work on writing Merlin, and make him more assertive and less of a wimp. In response to other parts of the reviews, I'm glad you thought that the Void was a good explanation for where Mab went after she vanished. I do think the relationship between Mab and Merlin was very much a love/hate relationship. Your ideas about another side to their relationship are interesting. I admit, I've always thought of it as more of a mother/son thing, and thus the idea of Mab creating Merlin to be the King opposite her as Queen does seem slightly Oedipus-like, if that's the right phrase, but you certainly make some valid and interesting points. Perhaps you should write a fic exploring the idea? We need more Merlin stories here! And you should definitely watch Labyrinth. It's a cool film, even if you're not a big David Bowie fan (which I'm not).At least, I think so- it has dancing Goblins and cool Fireys that can pull their heads off. It appeals to my madness. _

_Disclaimer: Merlin, Mab and Frik belong to Hallmark Entertainment. "Labyrinth" belongs to Jim Henson. The three witches are all mine, but their names (and to a small extent, their appearance) are borrowed from "Dark Crystal", which also belongs to Jim Henson. "See the Little Goblin" is from Blackadder and thus belongs to the BBC._

Mab and Merlin had been walking for about an hour when they came to another dead end. They weren't following a particular route, just trying to go in a vaguely straight line, and, up until that point, it had been working well. They turned backwards to go the way they had come, then saw that all of the hedges had changed places, so that where they had taken their last turning, there was now a large hawthorn.

Merlin sighed, "Well, this is certainly interesting." Mab stared at him just long enough to convey a general feeling of contempt for the comment he had just passed, and didn't deign to reply. When the two of them turned back to the walls, they found that another pair of doors had materialised against the wall.

"Oh, joy. More doors," stated Mab sarcastically. Merlin stared closely at them. There were no sentries guarding these doors, just two large, brass knockers in the shape of faces.

"Do you think we have to answer another riddle?" asked Merlin uncertainly, "Frik seems to have much more of a knack for them than I do." Mab snorted.

"Yes, and last time we let him answer a riddle, we ended up falling fifty feet into a dungeon and being pursued by lethal machinery. Forgive me if I'm less than sorry at his absence."

"At least he got us past the doors," Merlin replied, "Which was more than you did."

"Need I remind you that it was also more than you did?" Mab sneered back at him, "Double standards, Merlin. You seem to live your life by them." Merlin gritted his teeth. Mab's constant jibes, snide remarks and bad temper were grating on his nerves.

"At least I'm not a cold blooded murderer," he replied in a quietly angered voice. Mab turned to face him.

"You have innocent blood on your hands, too," she snarled, "Or have you forgotten what happened to the Duke of Cornwall?" The reminder stung more than any threat or insult could have done, dredging up the lasting legacy of Merlin's bad judgement. He had helped Uther take Igraine, Duchess of Cornwall, and Uther had slaughtered her husband. He had betrayed Igraine, he caused the death of her husband and hundreds of his men, and let Uther's power crazed madness continue. At that moment, he hated Mab for reminding him, and hated himself for having been so foolish in the first place, and for giving her a weapon to use against him. He wondered if it was even remotely possible for their tentative truce to last, or if their old scars ran too deep to heal. If the hatred, anger and animosity that lay between them could ever, even temporarily be forgotten. Even though he knew that fighting would do no good, his anger overcame his common sense and he turned on Mab.

"Everything I did, I did for a good reason!" he retaliated furiously, "I was trying to bring peace to Britain, all you did was try and destroy it!"

"No, you were trying to take revenge on me, and placing Arthur on the throne just happened to fit in nicely with that. You dragged your little protégée into our war because it suited your purpose." Merlin was furious at the accusation. It was Mab who used humans, manipulating them for her own ends; it was Mab who had thought of nothing but revenge, not him.

"That's not true!" he protested angrily.

"Really?" asked Mab mockingly, "Then if Arthur had been Pagan and not Christian, you would still have made him king "for the good of Britain"?" Merlin hesitated. No, he wouldn't have, but that didn't mean that he only thought of revenge.

"If he'd followed you and the Old Ways, it would have harmed Britain. Look at Mordred! Evil, twisted, senselessly violent, the list goes on and on, Mab."

"Shut up!" Mab screamed, almost incandescent with rage, "You know nothing about Mordred! At least he was loyal."

"Loyal to what?" Merlin challenged, "You and your Old Ways? You really believe he was better than me because he killed people in your name? It's better not to be loyal to some things, Mab. The Old Ways are gone, as they were always destined to. The world is better off without them, or you."

"Then why are you here?" Mab shrieked, cutting him off before he could say more, "If Britain is so much better off without the Old Ways, if all those good Christian men that you so much admire are running the country with fairness and justice, if Britain prospers so much in my absence, then why have you gambled your freedom on a ghost of a chance to bring back a dead king?" Mab glared at him daring to answer the question. Merlin glared back, his anger only intensified by the fact that she was right.

"It's very rude to just stand there arguing!" A voice cut into their furious exchange, distracting them from their conflict. They turned to see one of the knockers staring at them crossly.

"My apologies," said Merlin, surprised, but also slightly grateful for the sudden interruption. The fighting would get them nowhere, and that was precisely where they didn't need to go.

"Pardon?" demanded the knocker. Merlin saw that the handle was jammed into its ears. A muffled noise came from the other knocker, whose handle was stuck in its mouth. Merlin helpfully removed it.

"Thank you," it said gratefully.

"Where do these doors lead?" asked Merlin curiously.

"Does one of them, by any chance, lead to certain death?" Mab asked.

"Search me," replied the knocker. "We never see what's on the other side of these doors." Mab rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth. The knocker on the left chimed in.

"Why does everyone always have to mumble? Speak up!" They ignored it.

"How do we get through?" asked Merlin.

"Knock, and the door will open," replied the knocker. Merlin stared at the handle in his hand, then back to the knocker, who shook his head stubbornly.

"No way. You're not putting that back in my mouth." Merlin sighed, and crossed to the other door.

"What do you think?" he asked Mab. "Should we go through this one?"

"We don't have enough time to waste arguing with the other one," Mab pointed out. Merlin turned back to the door, and knocked once, twice, three times. The door swung open, and the two of them stepped through it.

Beyond the door was a large forest. It was so unlike the rest of the dry, dusty, warm Labyrinth that Merlin almost wondered if they'd stepped into another world. The forest was large and lush and green, tall trees stretching up into the sky, which was still a strange shade of orange. A thick, cold mist coiled through the trees, lending the whole place an eerie feel. And the air was thick with magic.

Mab could feel it as soon as she stepped through the door. Magic was potent in the whole Underground, of course, and the air was charged with remnants of Jareth's illusionary magic, but this was different. She could still feel the Labyrinth here, but there was also another kind of magic, a kind that was different from any magic she'd felt before- different from Jareth's, from hers, from Merlin's, from her sister's.

"The air's different here," Merlin whispered from beside her. Evidently, he could feel it, too. They walked forward several paces, carrying on in a straight line. The mist soon swallowed up the place where they'd been standing. Mab wasn't sure they could find it again if they tried. She sincerely hoped there was a way through this forest.

They saw the smoke before they saw the house. A thin pillar of it weaved its way upwards through the trees and mist. The scent of magic on it was even stronger than that of the forest in general. Without speaking, as though drawn to it, they moved towards the smoke, their earlier conflict almost forgotten, and then they saw the house looming out of the mist.

It was a rickety cottage, built mainly of wood, over two stories. To Merlin, who had lived most of his life in a small forest hut, it actually looked quite large, but a lot less stable than his old home. The strange magic seemed to be emanating from this place, and it was probably magic that held it together. Once again, the two of them stepped forward wordlessly, but before they could reach it, they heard a cackling noise, coming from behind them. They swirled, Merlin's eyes swivelling from left to right, searching for the source of the noise, Mab extending her magical senses to try and detect the source of the noise. Before either of them could detect anything, they heard a small tinkling laugh from in front of them, and turned again.

"I'm beginning to feel like we've walked into a trap," Merlin whispered to Mab out of the corner of his mouth. As though his words were a queue, two figures jumped out of the bushes towards them, causing them to jump backwards.

"Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble," sneered one of them in a high, somewhat screeching voice, "What charming morsels do we have here?" Merlin peered forward, trying to get a good look at her, but she wore a long black cloak, the hood of which covered her face. The other figure spoke up.

"Don't be so mean! You'll scare them!" Her voice had a soft, lilting quality that reminded Merlin of the Lady of the Lake. She too wore a cloak, though hers was white.

"That was the intended effect!" the other one snapped back.

"But…" the other one protested. Before she could continue, another woman stepped forward, this one wearing a red cloak.

"Quiet, both of you!" she commanded irritably, in a sharp voice that reminded Merlin slightly of his foster mother, Ambrosia, "Honestly, bickering all day, all night, no rest, none!" It was at this point Mab decided to speak up.

"Who are you?" she demanded. The three figures turned back towards Merlin and Mab in surprise, as though they had forgotten they were there.

"Who are _you_, strange wanderer?" retorted the black cloaked one.

"I asked first!" snapped Mab. The girl snickered.

"Ah, but you are the trespassers here. It is only polite that you should introduce yourselves first, it is. It is not wise to cross the Witches of Leftwood, should we consider you a danger and," she made a grabbing motion with her hand, "Snatch away your life." She let out another cackle, seeming to find the last pronouncement amusing.

"They are challengers, seem to be," replied the red-cloaked woman, "Not bringers of danger, no, not this time."

"Ah, but listen," replied her cackling companion, cupping her hand to her ear, "They are magic users, strong magic users. They could prove a danger."

"Yes, could sense that, sense magic…" the woman in red continued, but was interrupted by the first.

"No, _I_ have sensed it!" she cried, "_I_ sensed their powers!" Regaining control of her temper, she went on to her companions. "The woman is the stronger of the two, stronger than we have ever seen before, but her lover is strong also." Merlin and Mab, who had been attempting to follow the conversation, despite the strange speech patterns jumped about five feet away from each other at this comment.

"_What!_" Mab demanded furiously.

"We're not…" Merlin began simultaneously but he was ignored.

"That does not mean danger to us!" the woman in red replied, "Still your suspicions!" The black robed girl made a high pitched whining noise to indicate her disagreement, but she obediently ceased her accusations.

"If they are challengers," broke in the girl in the white robe, "Then they must come in." She gestured towards the house. The other two nodded, and the three of them ushered Merlin and Mab forward and into the rickety house. Inside, a fire burned brightly, and a strange, vile smelling mixture simmered over it in a cauldron. Two large crystal balls sat on tables at opposite ends of the room, next to two other doors. The witch wearing red shut the door.

"Now," she said, "What are your names, challengers?" Deciding that cooperation was probably the wisest choice for now, Merlin answered.

"My name is Merlin," he replied.

"And what is yours, pretty traveller with sharp tongue?" asked the one in black. Mab waited a moment before deigning to reply.

"Queen Mab." The three witches let out an "Ah!" of comprehension.

"Yes, the Queen of Magic, of course," muttered the one in red.

"And the Queen of Air and Darkness in the realm of men," continued the one in black.

"That explains the strength of her powers," replied the girl in white.

"And why you are challenging the Labyrinth," the girl in black said, speaking directly to Mab, "Jareth becomes greedy, clutching at things he wants, does he not? Most unfortunate for those whom he desires, yes?"

"I'm aware of Jareth's faults, believe me," replied Mab, "Who are you?" The witches removed their cloaks so that Merlin and Mab could see them. They wore long dresses in the same colour as their cloaks. The girl in white was tall and pretty, with delicate, pointed features, large eyes, and flowing white hair. Her expression was serene. The girl in black was not as pretty, though not ugly either. She had black hair that fell in tangles to her shoulders. Her eyes were amber coloured, and were narrowed, not because she felt particularly suspicious, but because she used the expression so often her features settled into it naturally. She was rather bony, her features were angular, and Merlin could see that her fingers were unnaturally long and bony, slightly bent and ending in long, talon-like nails. Her skin had an unhealthy greyish tint to it. The third witch, wearing red, looked elderly, as opposed to the other two. She was short and stocky, with long, grey hair, and a piercing gaze emanating from her brown eyes. She seemed to be the leader of the three.

"We are the Witches of Leftwood," she replied, "Aughra is my name."

The girl in white smiled, "I am Gelfling."

The girl in black stared through narrowed eyes, "I call myself Skeksi. Be polite, and I may let you call me it also."

"Interesting names," Merlin replied.

"Indeed," Mab agreed. Their comments were ignored; evidently the witches were used to such remarks.

"Now, challengers…," Aughra said, in a loud, dramatic voice that was evidently meant to be the prelude to an important statement, but for Skeksi's sudden yelp.

"The cauldron!" She dashed over to the said object, which was beginning to expel violet smoke, and began stirring it vigorously until the liquid inside returned to an obnoxious green colour.

"Ahem!" Aughra cleared her throat loudly, with an irritated glance in Skeksi's direction. "As Aughra was saying, challengers must now undergo a trial."

"What kind of trial?" asked Mab suspiciously.

"It's hard to explain," answered Gelfling kindly, "It very much depends on who undertakes it."

"No, it's simple to explain," Skeksi put in, "The details depend on the person."

"It's only simple to explain if you make a sweeping statement, Skeksi, and it never helps anyone to comprehend the trial."

"It helps them more than nothing!" replied Skeksi crossly, taking a spoonful of the potion from the cauldron and testing it. She frowned a little, then spat into the potion, turning it a violent shade of red, and causing it to let out a burst of flame. She looked at the new colour. "Hmmm, needs more newts' blood. And possibly an extra chicken foot." Merlin and Mab looked at the cauldron in distaste.

"The trial doesn't involve drinking that, does it?" Mab asked Aughra. Behind her Skeksi laughed.

"As if we would waste precious ingredients on every challenger going through the Labyrinth! This has nothing to do with the trial, Queen of Air and Darkness. You needn't fear yourself."

"I'm glad to hear it," replied Mab, looking visibly relieved.

"Enough!" snapped Aughra, "Will you face the trial?"

"What if we choose not to?" asked Merlin.

"Then you are free to go into the forest, but be warned! The path will never end, and you will not reach the Goblin Castle in time. You will lose," warned Aughra.

"That's if you survive the rest of your time in the forest," interrupted Skeksi, with another cackle, "And don't get torn apart by the nasty creatures!"

"If you face the trials," Aughra continued, "When you leave, the path will be shortened, and you can continue on your journey."

"So, you're saying that either we lose for certain, or we face this trial and then we can carry on and maybe lose anyway." Merlin simplified.

"…Yes," Aughra admitted.

"Oh, but you will go away from the trial a much better and humbler person," said Gelfling, in an attempt at making the best out of the situation.

"Either that or committing suicide," said Skeksi, in an attempt at doing the exact opposite.

"How do we know that you're telling the truth?" asked Merlin, "How do we know that the path will never end if we walk down it now?"

Gelfling looked shocked and upset at the implication that Merlin disbelieved them, Skeksi cackled again and murmured into her cauldron, "Perhaps challengers have wits enough to get through the Labyrinth after all…", before emptying a pot of what looked like dust into the potion, "Hmmm, nearly out of dead man's ashes…" she grumbled to herself. Aughra looked puzzled.

"What would we gain from lying to you? Nothing, Aughra thinks."

"I'm sure Jareth would gain something from us being delayed," Mab retorted.

"What has the King of the Goblins got to do with it? We do not associate with him, nothing to do with us. Goblins do not like this forest," Aughra informed them. Skeksi laughed.

"_See the little goblin, See his little feet, And his little nosy-wose, Isn't the Goblin sweet_?" Skeksi sang, laughing madly as she did, and finishing off by crying "No!", and going off into peals of cackling laughter.

Ignoring Skeksi, Merlin went on.

"Well, you do answer to him, don't you?" The witches looked offended.

"We answer to no-one!" snapped Skeksi.

"But you live in his kingdom," pointed out Merlin.

"Do you follow all commands given to you by your king? Even if they do harm to you, or others?" Aughra asked crossly, "I think not. Jareth wishes to control us, but he does not. We wish to be left alone, but we are invaded by challengers. Trial helps challengers get through forest and leave us alone. Challengers happy, we are less than unhappy…"

"And because we do not let challengers through straight away, Jareth is pleased, and leaves us alone," Skeksi finished. "You are just wasting time with your arguing. You question too much, others question too little. Must find middle ground, yes?" Merlin turned to Aughra.

"Then, I suppose we'll face your trial," he said, with some misgivings.

"I'm capable of speaking for myself!" snapped Mab, before turning back to the other witches.

"I'll face this trial, too. But mark this, if I find that you're lying to us, or betraying us, then you'll pay dearly." None of the witches seemed bothered by the threat, but Skeksi smiled to herself.

"Keep your pride, Queen of Magic. It can be a powerful ally." Looking at Skeksi, Mab replied.

"I know."

Aughra turned towards Mab, and pointed towards one of the doors leading off from the main room.

"Enter through there," she instructed. Following Mab towards the door, she lifted the crystal ball from the table beside it. She called out.

"Skeksi, take Merlin to the other room!" before going through the door and shutting it behind her. Skeksi pushed Merlin towards the other door roughly.

"That way!" she said impatiently, snatching up the other crystal ball. "Gelfling, stay here and stir cauldron. Do not let it burn!" And with that, she walked into the room and slammed the door behind her.

The room was dark. Merlin squinted around, and made out the shapes of a table and two chairs.

"Sit down!" snapped Skeksi, "You do not have all day, I think." Merlin sat in one of the chairs, and Skeksi sat opposite, placing the crystal on the table between them. Merlin wondered exactly what kind of trial involved large furniture and a crystal ball, and failed to think of anything.

"What exactly does this trial entail?" he asked. Skeksi sighed.

"More questions? You always have questions; I am surprised you have time to give answers," she muttered, but went on to answer the question anyway. "We use our magic, through the crystal, to find who you have wronged the most within your life, and you experience the pain you inflicted on them- you feel their emotions, and when they feel metaphorical pain, you feel its physical equivalent. You may need many strong painkillers afterwards. We keep them stocked." Merlin looked at the crystal dubiously. Whilst it all sounded very noble, Merlin wasn't sure he could cope with feeling the suffering he had inflicted, however unintentionally, on others. It was bad enough imagining the suffering they had felt; however, he couldn't see that he had any choice. "Are you ready now?" Skeksi asked impatiently. He nodded wordlessly. Skeksi concentrated for a moment, then flung out her hands towards the crystal. Bolts of energy flew from them, passing through the crystal and hitting Merlin. Merlin winced in anticipation, but to his surprise, the bolts didn't hurt, merely tingled slightly. He wondered whose thoughts and feelings he would have to witness. His first thought was Igraine, or perhaps her husband, whose death he had caused, but then he thought of Nimue, whose love for him had seen her scarred by a dragon's flame, and trapped in a magical cave forever. He didn't think he could bear it if it was.

As suddenly as she had made them appear, Skeksi banished the bolts with a gesture. She leaned forward, peering into the crystal. Merlin leant forward, too. A faint picture was taking shape in the crystal.

"The one whom you have wronged the most will appear in the crystal," Skeksi murmured dramatically. Merlin stared at the image began to focus. As it became less blurry, Merlin thought that he recognised who it was. But no, that was impossible. He must be mistaken.

Whatever his doubts however, Skeksi certainly didn't seem to share them.

"Hmm. How interesting," she observed, giving Merlin a sly glance, "Do you often travel with your enemies." The image in the crystal was fully in focus now, and there was no mistaking who it was. It was Mab.

"That's impossible," Merlin said, shaking his head in denial. Skeksi seemed to find it rather amusing.

"The crystal never lies," she laughed. Merlin continued to shake his head in angry denial.

"I've never wronged her…" he said, staring at Skeksi as though telling her would change who appeared in the crystal. She raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously you have, human. I do not elect who appears in the crystal." Merlin stood up angrily.

"Everything I've ever done to her, she's deserved!" he ground out in fury. Skeksi jumped up to face him, and Merlin noticed that she was actually taller than he was. She was starting to look less than amused.

"It is not for you to judge who deserves what! What have right have you to judge others?" she snapped, "Now _sit down_!" Regaining control of himself, Merlin sat. "After the trial, you can judge for yourself whether or not she deserved it." Unwillingly, Merlin agreed. Now he really wasn't sure what to expect.

"Look into the crystal," Skeksi muttered, "Stare deeply. Do not look away." Merlin stared, stared until he couldn't see the rest of the room, only a speck of light within the crystal that grew larger and larger as he watched, until it engulfed his whole vision.

Merlin had been surprised by who had appeared in the crystal, but it had been no surprise whatsoever to Mab. She'd lived a long, long life, and in it she had done plenty of things that could be constituted as "wrong", but she knew that there was no one particular person that she'd waged a private war with for decades except Merlin, and sure enough, when the image cleared, she was staring down at Merlin's image.

"What a surprise," she muttered sarcastically, not really wanting an inside guide to Merlin's thoughts and feelings. She had never understood mortals, and as far as she was concerned, that was not a problem. Still, the idea of wasting time here, then running out of time and becoming Jareth's bride was something she wanted even less, and so it was with considerable trepidation that she leaned forward and stared in the crystal.

When the light faded, Merlin could see in front of him a large room. He recognised it as his schoolroom in the Land of Magic. Mab and Frik stood in it, looking around as though searching for something. It didn't take him long to realise that they were looking for him.

"Master Merlin!" Frik called. There was no reply. The gnome sighed, "Where _is_ he?" It was then that Mab spoke up.

"He's on his way home," she hissed angrily, "To that viper-tongued witch Ambrosia." Merlin felt a strange feeling of angry hurt that was not his own rise in him, and a voice echoed in his head.

"_Why has he gone back to her? He was supposed to stay here!" _He felt a jolt of pain flicker through his chest and he cried out in surprise.

The conversation had progressed slightly.

"What are you going to do?" Frik asked Mab.

"I'm not going to lose him," she replied, stalking around the room.

"_I can't lose him. I need him. He's the only hope I have left_." Merlin felt desperation flood through him now, and another jolt of pain hit him.

Now the scene changed to the inside of Ambrosia's forest house. Merlin recognised himself as a youth standing in front of Mab.

"I don't care if you die and disappear."

Merlin felt a flash of anger and jealousy flow through him, along with the thought "_You cared when Ambrosia died. You care more about the life of one old and dying woman than you do about your own people, about me…_" A much larger jolt of pain flowed through his chest this time and he let out another yell.

Mab easily recognised the scene in front of her. It was in Ambrosia's house. Ambrosia was standing there, and so was Frik. She herself was also standing there, holding the newborn baby she now knew to be Merlin in her arms.

"_This is ridiculous_," Mab thought scornfully, "_How could a child that young possibly understand anything, never mind have a sense of right and wrong?_"

Ambrosia was speaking, "While you're making gestures, save the mother. She's dying." Mab saw herself turn to Ambrosia and say carelessly.

"No she's not. She's dead." Suddenly, Mab was aware of a strange feeling of fear and sadness within her, that se couldn't understand. It was the feeling a child has when they know that something horrible has happened, but they're not sure what it is. She felt a pain tighten across her chest, and she clutched at it in pain.

When she looked again, the scene had changed. A much younger Merlin than the one she knew today was talking to her sister, to the Lady of the Lake.

"How are you getting on with my sister Mab?" the Lady of the Lake was asking, "We two don't get on."

"Why?" Merlin asked, confused.

"I don't approve of what she's been doing. Creating you, and letting your mother die like that…"

The pain returned, but worse this time, and with it came the confusion and anger that Merlin had felt when he'd learned that the woman who'd created him had stood by while his mother died.

The three witches could not see precisely what Mab and Merlin could see, nor hear precisely what they could hear, but every so often, an image would flicker across their vision, or they would hear distant voices.

A beautiful woman lying injured and forever scarred by the flame from a dragon… A young man wearing the cross of Christianity, pulling a sword from a large stone… That man, but older, lying dead at the edge of a battlefield… Another, younger man also dying amidst a field of bodies… A vicious battle of magic between Merlin and Mab... the Void… a life spent searching for a cave that could never be found…

"_I'll destroy you for what you've done to me!"_

"_The end justifies the means…"_

"_Because of him, the chaos and blood will go on and on…"_

"_I'll see you fade into nothing…"_

"_Arthur will heal the land…"_

"_The big bad wizard can't do a thing. Run, run wizard, run…"_

"_You've lost Arthur… the battle… your one true love…"_

"_Don't forget me, Merlin. I… love you. As a son…"_

"They'll suffer for this," Skeksi murmured to herself, half pityingly, "How they will be able to look at each other after this, I know not. Then how can they complete the Labyrinth?"

Merlin wasn't aware of how long the trial lasted. Scene after scene flashed before his eyes. He could feel the pain and suffering that he had inflicted on Mab, and for once in his life, he pitied her. He pitied her because she had started out with good intentions and failed, he pitied her because she had faded away, he pitied her for having to spend so long in the Void. And he pitied her because, in her own way, she had loved him, and he'd been the one to destroy her.

By the time it was over, every part of his body ached, and his mind was in turmoil. Mab's thoughts and feelings were no longer mixed up with his own, thank goodness, but the memories of them were still strong. Skeksi didn't say anything to him, just gave him a look that Merlin didn't recognise for a moment, until he realised it was pity. Merlin wasn't entirely sure that he wanted the pity of this eccentric, cruel, half-mad witch, but then he thought that perhaps Mab didn't want his pity, had never wanted his pity. His loyalty, his obedience, yes. Maybe even his affection. But never his pity.

Skeksi crossed to the door and opened it. Merlin pulled himself to his feet, his legs nearly collapsing. Once he'd steadied himself, he crossed back into the main room. The first thing he noticed was Mab sitting in a chair across the room, looking every bit as awful as he felt. Aughra was sitting in another chair, and glanced up as Merlin entered the room, looking from him to Mab and back again, apparently contemplating something privately. Gelfling was handing Mab a drink of some kind. Seeing this, Skeksi yelled out.

"Gelfling! Did I not tell you to stir the cauldron!" as she ran over to her precious potion again. Merlin and Mab winced at the loud noise of her screeching voice. Aughra opened her eyes and snapped.

"Put aside your potion! We have more things to think about than that!"

Merlin sat in a chair across from Mab, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Not after what he'd just seen. He caught a quick glimpse of her and saw that she seemed to be purposefully avoiding looking at him as well. Interrupting his reverie, Gelfling handed him a goblet filled with a strange coloured liquid.

"Here," she said kindly, "Drink this. It will make you feel better." Merlin took a sip, then wished he hadn't. It was disgusting. He grimaced as he swallowed; however, he noticed the pain that he felt fade a little.

"Tastes bad, does good," Aughra informed him. "Drink it."

"It's not from that cauldron is it?" Merlin asked tentatively. Skeksi laughed and shook her head.

"No, no, but drink it quickly then go!" she urged. "Time runs short." Merlin swallowed the rest of the potion. It left a bitter aftertaste, but at least the pain was gone. As soon as he had finished, the witches swooped down on him and Mab, pulling them to their feet and shepherding them urgently out of the door.

"Goodbye!" Gelfling called kindly.

"Luck be with you," said Aughra quickly, "Now go!"

"Aren't you curious about what the potion was?" teased Skeksi.

"No, not really, but since you bring it up…," Merlin replied.

"Dinner!" Skeksi informed Merlin, then went off into gales of laughter as both he and Mab turned a faint shade of green. With that, she, Aughra and Gelfling turned and went back inside, leaving Merlin and Mab standing outside purposefully not looking at each other.

Inside, the witches went back to their tasks- Gelfling tidied, Skeksi stirred her potion, and Aughra mused.

"Will they make it, Aughra wonders?" she muttered. Gelfling looked distraught.

"Oh, I hope so! To think of them losing to Jareth in his present mood…"

"Ah, Gelfling, Aughra did not ask for your hopes and sentiments!" Aughra snapped, "Aughra asks you for a realistic view!" Gelfling looked suitably corrected. Aughra went on, "It is true, people cannot bear to come face to face with those they have wronged, Aughra knows from experience! But when they are relying on each other to face the Labyrinth…" They went into deep thought. Aughra turned to Skeksi who, unusually, was keeping her opinions to herself. "What think you Skeksi? Will they make it?"

Skeksi looked thoughtful for a moment, and stirred her potion several times before she made a reply. Carefully tipping another ingredient into the cauldron, she stared into the sudden outburst of blood red flames, lost in her own thoughts.

"I think…" she began, "… I think that we should order some more dead man's ashes."

_Author's Note: Excuse the odd ending to the chapter, I couldn't think of another way to end it without dragging it on longer. So, there is the latest chapter. Please tell me what you think. New part hopefully up soon._


	9. Preparing for Betrayal

Chapter 8- Preparing for Betrayal

_Author's Note: Greetings once more. I have returned, with next part. The first bit of this chapter was going to go in Chapter 7, but I didn't want to make that chapter vastly longer than the other chapters so I put it in here._

_Jadanni, once more, thank you for your comments. I agree with your idea about the ending. I might go back and rewrite that part when I've finished the fic. I also agree that more angst might have been good, but I find angst and tears- particularly from Mab and Merlin- really hard to write well. Also really hard to imagine Mab in tears, not sure I want to either, it's a scary picture. BTW, that reminds me, have you been on the Merlin's Apprentice imdb page? Noticed any changes to the cast/characters list? Jumps up and down and looks deliriously excited> If you don't know what I'm talking about, my apologies. Check out the page, then check next to Miranda Richardson's name… _

_Tortoise Bird- Hi! Thanks for the compliments. I also agree that Mab is misunderstood. Not misunderstood as in "all I need is a cuddle and I'll be good again" misunderstood, though. That would be scary. But Merlin is a hypocrite. I hate him. Sorry, I'm ranting and babbling madly again. Just ignore it when I do that. Anyway, what is it with all these Mab/Merlin shippers suddenly appearing? As previously stated, I never really saw them as a couple, but I sort of see your point now. Write fic about it please! Sorry, this is me trying to get more Merlin fanfics on the site, shamelessly begging people to write them. I ask everyone. Sadly there are so few on here… But still, we all know that Merlin is brilliant, and that's what counts, yes? But it would be cool if someone did write a Mab/Merlin fic, because I'd have honestly no idea where to begin (Not so subtle hint to anyone who might be reading this)_

_Sorry, my reviewer responses have gone a bit mental and haywire this time, but my brain has gone into meltdown due to long summer holidays, and thus my moods fluctuate between hyper and comatose, and I write and speak like a sloth half the time, and like a penguin on caffeine the rest of the time._

_Anyhow, my weirdness aside, here goes…_

The path continued on through the forest. Despite Merlin and Mab having been walking for at least fifteen minutes, the trees were still densely packed together on every side of them, and the forest showed no signs of ending. Mab wondered if the witches had tricked them, if the path had remained never ending, but she doubted it somehow. Perhaps it was because there was a brutal frankness to the witches that didn't seem to exist anywhere else in this land of illusions and tricks that made Mab trust them, or perhaps she just couldn't bear to think that she had undergone that trial for nothing.

Mab's hand went to her chest automatically, even though the physical pain was no longer there. It had been there before, repeated jolts of absolute agony racking through her body, and it was only a lack of blood that convinced her that she wasn't being stabbed, or killed in a similar way. Although, she had been distracted from the pain during the trial by Merlin's thoughts and feelings invading her own mind and entwining themselves with her own thoughts until she didn't know what feelings were hers, and which were Merlin's, didn't know whether this was her own memory or one of Merlin's thoughts, and she had hated it. She didn't want to know what Merlin thought of her- she already had a pretty good idea- and she didn't want to be made to feel as though she had done something wrong. She had been fighting for the survival of her entire people, had nearly died trying to create a champion for them, given him magical gifts, and he'd thrown them back in her face. He'd been selfish, petty, and hypocritical, just like all humans. None of them seemed to grasp that their own lives were not the most important life in the world, that if one or two of them died in a fight to preserve an entire race, it didn't matter. Mab shouldn't have cared what she had done to Merlin, or any other human for that matter.

But who would have thought that humans could feel so much pain?

Mab glanced forward at Merlin. Neither of them had uttered a word to each other since before the trial. They had moved away from the cottage and continued down the path in total silence, a silence which was growing more tense and awkward by the minute, and though Mab knew that eventually they would have to speak to each other, she was glad that Merlin seemed to be just as keen to talk as she was, for whatever reason. She didn't want to speak to Merlin, because for the first time, she was sorry for the pain she had caused him. Regret was not part of her nature, and to suddenly feel it was a foreign sensation, and for Merlin, no less… it gave her a headache just thinking about it. But still, Merlin had hurt her just as much, even without a spell to highlight the fact, and she still resented his presence, was still his enemy, still angry at what he had done to her, and if she felt even the tiniest amount of regret for her actions then she would not give him the satisfaction of hearing it in her voice.

She glanced at Merlin, who avoided her gaze and looked away, towards the side of the path. Mab wondered who Merlin had seen in the trial. He obviously wasn't keen to talk about it, though Mab was aware she probably wouldn't be the first person he told even if he had been. Whoever it had been, it had obviously unnerved Merlin as much as her trial had unnerved her.

"_Perhaps the realisation that he's not perfect was too much for him_," Mab thought spitefully, then felt guilty for having thought it, and then felt angry with herself for feeling guilty. She and Merlin were still enemies, she reminded herself, even if they were cooperating with each other for the moment. If the centuries of war had taught Mab one thing, it was to never try to sympathise with your enemy. It left you vulnerable. It was bad enough that Merlin was her son, bad enough that there was that bond between them, bad enough that they had been forced to cooperate…

"_Bad enough that you still love him?_" inquired the irritating little voice in Mab's mind that she succeeded in quashing most of the time, but that still had a nasty habit of popping up on occasion. Mab pushed the thought away, trying to ignore it. Love, in all its shapes and forms, was for humans, and other foolish mortal creatures, not for the immortal unyielding Queen of Air and Darkness. Love gave you nothing except pain, of which her feelings for Merlin were only one of a multitude of examples that she could think of off the top of her head. Look at Merlin, Nimue, Frik, Morgan, Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere… Love was pointless, love was nasty and love, in most cases, was dangerous. Like sympathy, it left you open to weakness. If she hadn't loved Merlin and wanted so badly to bring him back to join her, she could have had him killed before he even started to cause trouble by bringing Arthur and Uther to the throne, and then she might never have faded away.

Trying to push away these thoughts, Mab concentrated on her surroundings. The forest's magic seemed to be getting weaker, which could mean that they were nearing the edge of the forest. Alternatively, it might just be growing weaker as they travelled further away from the witches' house, but at least it meant they weren't travelling in circles.

The forest was so utterly different from anything else in the Underground, and Jareth seemed to have much less influence here than he did elsewhere. Mab wondered how he had ever allowed such a place to exist in a world where he was so keen to control anything and everyone, or if he really was content to let the place exist as long as it kept challengers occupied for long enough. Then again, perhaps he kept it there to give him a change of scenery from the desert-like wasteland that made up most of the Underground. Or perhaps his hold was simply weaker here, and that was how the forest had been allowed to spring up, and the witches allowed to live relatively freely. It would certainly explain the lack of crystal balls, traps and illusions that Jareth so loved.

A sudden noise from the trees to her left interrupted Mab's musings, and she turned her head sharply towards its source. She couldn't see anything there, but she knew that didn't mean nothing was there. Merlin was still walking slightly ahead of her, and showed no sign of having heard anything. Mab briefly considered telling him there was something there, but decided it was ultimately pointless- neither of them wanted to talk, and she didn't particularly want to resume communications over something that could turn out to be a pigeon. However, as she listened, she realised that she could hear other sounds coming from the surrounding bushes and trees- the rustling of something moving through the leaves, the creaking of a branch under pressure, the shuffling of a creature walking along the ground, the flap of wings. Mab glanced around warily, looking out for some sign of whatever it was (or whatever they were) making the noises. Skeksi's comment about getting torn apart by nasty creatures kept drifting near the forefront of her thoughts. Jareth had thus far only set traps for them, but avoided doing anything that might result in the deaths of his precious prizes, but if his influence really was weaker here, then they couldn't count on him for protection.

"_Stop it,_" she told herself firmly. "_The same sounds have probably been there ever since you entered the forest, you just didn't notice them_." If being privy to the thoughts and feelings of a mortal (or half-mortal) served to make you fanciful and paranoid, Mab wanted no part of it, whatsoever. In fact, she didn't want any part of it anyway, not after this, not after seeing Merlin's memories of her and only feeling hatred and revulsion for herself through his feelings. No affection, no concern, not even the kind of love that you resented feeling, the kind that you hid and pretended not to feel, even to yourself, which was what Mab had felt for Merlin most of the time. Just bitterness, anger and cold hatred.

"_What did you expect?_" she asked herself angrily, furious at herself for caring what Merlin felt for her, "_He's your enemy. You died because of him. He walked away from you and when you tried to stop him, when you tried to tell him that you loved him, he didn't even look back. What exactly did you expect to see in that crystal?_" Before she could think on the matter any further, she heard more scuffling and rustlings from the undergrowth around her, very definitely louder and more frequent than she had heard before. She stopped still, and stared around herself. This time, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, some kind of four-legged creature darting quickly across the ground. Looking around again, she saw more movements- whatever the creatures were, they were quite large, they were numerous, and they appeared to be closing in on Mab and Merlin, surrounding them, and creeping gradually closer in a predatorial manner. Which, Mab supposed, made the two of them the prey.

"Merlin!" she called out urgently. Merlin hadn't noticed Mab stop still, and had continued walking, so he was now several metres ahead of her. Turning to face her, but still avoiding looking her in the eye, he waited questioningly for her to continue. Behind him, Mab saw one of the creatures perched on a tree branch, about to spring. Her eyes widened. "Look out!" she called as it leapt from its hiding place, straight for Merlin. Before she could do anything else, another creature leapt at her from the side, digging sharp claws into her arm and knocking her over, pushing the air from her lungs. Momentarily too surprised to summon magic, she kicked out at it, and it sprung backwards. Mab pulled herself upright, clutching her injured arm, thankful that it would heal quickly, and backed away from the creature, summoning a fireball and loosing it at it. The fireball hit the creature, and rolled off it harmlessly. It snarled loudly, and got ready to pounce again. Mab got her first good look at the creature, and realised in horror why her attack hadn't worked. The creatures were griffins. They were magical creatures, but were unaffected by magic. They were vicious creatures, useful for killing people without having to lay a finger on them yourself, and would stalk their prey in large groups. Mab herself had summoned enough griffins in the past to know about them, and she knew that she had no hope of controlling these ones as she had the ones in the realms of men- only Jareth would be able to control griffins here, though he obviously wasn't.

Another griffin joined its fellow, and they both sprung at once, claws extended. Mab waited until the last moment, then dived sideways, avoiding the full force of their attack, though one of them caught her with a claw across her shoulder. They landed and turned back towards Mab, ready to attack again. Mab knew she couldn't keep dodging them, her arms were getting lacerated as it was, and she looked around desperately for something to use against them. Her eyes lighted on a large, thick, heavy looking log, and she reached out with her magic, lifting it, and sending it flying at the griffins in midair. It knocked one away, and crushed the other one against the ground. Mab looked over to where Merlin was trying to defend himself with a branch. He was managing to hold the griffins back, but it wasn't incapacitating them, and she knew it wouldn't work for long. She went to go towards him, but her path was blocked by at least five more griffins jumping out from the trees, and beginning to circle her.

---

Merlin knocked another griffin away from him as it lunged for his throat. More griffins were beginning to pour out from the undergrowth, more than Merlin had ever seen at once. He knew that it was only a matter of time before one got past his guard and dealt him a fatal wound. He already had several scratches on his legs and chest. He could see Mab ahead of him, faring equally badly against the griffins that were standing around her, and leaping at her. She was dodging most of them, and sending various branches and stones flying at the others, but Merlin could see that she was running out of missiles, and the griffins were slowly closing in on her. He knew that without weapons they were as good as defenceless against the bloodthirsty griffins, and it was only a matter of time before they were both killed.

Lashing out with the branch again, he tried to force the griffins backwards, to prevent them from backing him into a corner. He managed to make some headway, but a lot of the griffins that he knocked out of the way were circling behind him, surrounding him on all sides. Desperately pushing forwards to prevent himself from becoming completely surrounded, Merlin managed to escape the circling griffins. He helpfully knocked two of the griffins away from Mab before they could pounce, and Mab quickly moved away from the rest.

Despite the two of them having escaped from the griffins that had been circling them separately, they weren't out of danger. All the griffins now moved together, stalking towards their prey, and Mab and Merlin had nowhere to run.

"We need to get away from them," Mab hissed from beside Merlin, "There's too many to fight." Merlin glanced towards her. She looked even paler than usual, and her arms and torso were covered in gashes. She didn't look anywhere near as confident as she normally did- the Queen of Magic finally had an enemy that she didn't know how to fight.

"We'll have to fight our way through them," Merlin noted, "There's no other way out." Mab arched an eyebrow.

"Fight them with what?" she asked, "That branch isn't going to last long." Merlin knew she was right.

"We need a weapon," he muttered, "They'll tear us apart if we can't defend ourselves, and magic's no good." Mab opened her mouth to say something, then closed it abruptly, as though she had just thought of something.

"It's no good for using on the griffins," she muttered, partly to herself, "But that doesn't mean we can't use it." She stared intently at the branch in Merlin's hands, concentrating intensely, magic building up around her. Merlin felt the branch change shape, becoming long and pointed, and changing from wood to metal in his grasp. He realised then what Mab was doing. When she finished, instead of a tree branch, he was holding a long sword. Seeing this, a number of the griffins moved backwards, out of sword range. Merlin turned back to Mab, who looked weaker and more tired than she had a moment ago. Whilst she was the strongest magical being he knew of, she was out of practice, and she was injured. The spell had taken a lot of energy, and for a moment Merlin was surprised that she'd used a lot of her energy reserves on a weapon for him, however, he knew this was not the time to try and contemplate it. He held his sword up, knowing the griffins wouldn't let their prey go without a fight.

"Stay behind me," he told Mab. Mab looked indignant, and her pride and anger got the better of her.

"I don't need your protection!" she snapped. Tired and injured as he was, Merlin had no energy to try and argue with her, and he was nearing the end of his tether.

"Fine!" he snapped, "Be killed!" And with that, he walked forward, slashing and hacking through the griffins, blocking and attacking, and knocking away the creatures that leapt for him. He managed to reach the edge of the pack, and noted with surprise that only a couple of the griffins were pursuing him. As he looked back, he realised that was because the rest of them had all gone after Mab. Whether she had tried to follow him, Merlin didn't know, though he suspected Mab's stubborn nature meant that she probably hadn't, but her escape was now completely cut off, and she was surrounded. She tried to dodge the attacking griffins, but she didn't have anywhere to move to. One of them slashed out at her, and left a deep gash across her chest. She stumbled and fell, and then the griffins attacked. Merlin watched in horror. He knew he could run now, while the griffins were distracted, and he could get away, get to the Goblin Castle, but he also knew that Mab would be dead within minutes if he did.

"_Another wrong to add to the list, Merlin?_" his own annoying inner voice chirped in, "_Will you stand back and let her die again?_" Merlin didn't even have to think about it. Mab had used her energy on creating a weapon for him; he couldn't stand by while she was killed, not after seeing the pain he'd already caused her. Staring around, his eyes alighted on a large wasps' nest, and he silently thanked every being he could think of that could conceivably have contributed to the creation of wasps. Reaching out towards the wasps' nest, he gestured and sent the whole swarm of wasps flying at the griffins. Forgetting their prey for a moment, the griffins snarled and yelped as the angry wasps swarmed around them, stinging them. They shook their heads desperately, and eventually ran off into the trees trying to rid themselves of the stinging pests. Heaving a sigh of relief, Merlin turned towards Mab, who was trying to pull herself upright again. She was covered in claw marks and gashes- even her accelerated healing system couldn't cope with so many injuries at once. He reached out a hand to her.

"Can you stand?" he asked her. She nodded, and allowed Merlin to help her up- which in itself was an indication of how badly hurt she was, she would never have accepted help from him any other time- and attempted to step forward. She stumbled and winced as she collapsed against Merlin. Glancing back to ensure that the griffins weren't coming back; he lifted Mab quickly and turned to continue along the path.

"Put me down!" Mab said indignantly, "I can stand up on my own."

"But you can't walk," pointed out Merlin, "Would you rather stay here and be eaten by the griffins?"

"Why would you care if I did?" Mab snapped, sounding more bitter and angry than Merlin would have expected her to feel at his comment. He didn't answer her question. What could he have said? "_Because I saw you in the crystal? Because you helped me? Because I felt guilty?_" All of those would have led to a long and awkward conversation with Mab, and now was not the time for long and awkward conversations. Quickening his pace down the path, he remained silent.

Looking around, he thought he could see the trees thinning out, and the misty fog beginning to clear. He fervently hoped it wasn't his imagination, and that the forest really was coming to an end- Mab wasn't heavy, but even so, his arms were beginning to tire, his own injuries were beginning to ache, and he was almost sure he could hear the enraged howls of the griffins coming from behind him, as they realised their prey had escaped. Not to mention their time limit. Merlin didn't know how long they still had left, but he was willing to bet that it wasn't very much.

Suddenly, he heard a loud screech from behind him. He knew it was a griffin- it was still a long way behind them, but much closer than the howls had been before. Merlin speeded up, moving as fast as he could go whilst carrying Mab. The trees were definitely beginning to thin- it hadn't been his imagination after all- and, as the fog cleared, he could see a large wall looming up in front of him. Into it was set a sturdy wooden door with a large bolt across it, holding it shut. Merlin headed for it. Then, Mab cried out.

"Merlin!" Looking backwards, Merlin saw what Mab had seen. The griffins were following them, in plain sight, not all that far away. Putting on one last burst of speed, he reached the door, put Mab down, and threw back the bolt. He tugged hard at the door, which was stiff with age and disuse. It came open painfully slowly, as the griffins drew ever nearer. Merlin pulled the door as wide as he could, grabbed Mab, threw both of them through the door, and forced it shut. On the other side, he could hear the faint sounds of the griffins colliding with the other side of the door.

Looking around himself, Merlin could see that he and Mab were sitting on a staircase leading up to a courtyard, which appeared to have several different archways leading off it. The walls were made of dusty stone, and the air was hot and dry. Merlin never thought he'd be glad to be back in the Labyrinth.

---

Jareth watched with interest as an image of Merlin and Mab filled his spying crystal. Whilst they had been in the forest, Jareth had been unable to focus the image properly, due to the forest's strange enchantments, and thus he had been amusing himself by watching Frik's blundering travels through the Labyrinth- including a highly entertaining run in with the Fireys that Jareth had stored for future viewing. Now that Mab and Merlin had returned to the "normal" Labyrinth however, he fully intended to keep a close eye on them. They were the two he wanted, not Frik. They didn't have long to complete the Labyrinth- three hours now- but it was long enough for Jareth to not be able to let his guard down.

Peering closely at the crystal, Jareth saw that both Merlin and Mab were injured. He knew that strange things happened in the forest- several challengers had disappeared in there- but he had expressed a specific interest in keeping these two alive to the three hags that lived in the forest, and had expected them to slow Mab and Merlin down, but not harm them- that would spoil his fun. Still, he reasoned, they weren't fatally wounded. They would heal quickly enough, and it meant more delays for them if they weren't at full health.

"Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick," he muttered, "You're running out of time…"

---

Mab sat up slowly. She was still in pain, though it had lessened somewhat, thanks to her magic having begun to heal the numerous injuries. Merlin looked over at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, with something in his voice that might even have been classed as worry.

"Concerned, Merlin? For me? I'm flattered," Mab teased, half jokingly, half nastily. Merlin gave a small smile.

"Perish the thought, Mab." Mab started at this. Was it just her, or had Merlin said something that might even be classed as a joke. Now she knew something was wrong. Merlin would never in a million years have even considered saying anything to Mab in good humour. He had always hated her too much for that. Now it was as though he'd suddenly realised that Mab wasn't the route of all evil. How had that suddenly happened? It was even more surprising than Mab feeling guilty for the wrong she had done Merlin…

Then she realised why he was acting so strangely, and why he hadn't spoken to her or looked at her earlier. Why he had stayed to help her instead of escaping from the griffins when he had the chance. Why he wasn't looking at her with loathing and distrust. For the same reasons as her.

"It was me, wasn't it?" she said, stating it rather than asking. Merlin looked confused for a moment.

"What was?"

"In the crystal. You saw me, didn't you?" Merlin stared at her for a moment, then looked away, staring down at his legs, under the pretence of checking them for injuries.

"What makes you think that?" he asked. He didn't deny it.

"Well, for one thing, you're not denying it and telling me that you've never wronged me in your life and that I've deserved everything that's happened to me, which suggests I'm right. And if I was wrong, then why didn't you leave me to get killed by those griffins?"

"I wouldn't have left you to die anyway," Merlin protested.

"You already have once, why not do it again?" Mab challenged. Merlin nodded his head in acknowledgement of a point scored, and got up, walking a few paces away and turning his back on Mab.

"I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty," Mab informed him, though inside, she was glad that Merlin felt guilt for what he'd done, glad that he finally saw that she'd suffered, too. Glad that he was showing some kind of emotion that meant that he cared about her, however begrudgingly. "I'm sorry if that's how you took it." Merlin turned around, amazed anger lining his face.

"Sorry? When have you ever been sorry for anything you've ever done to me?" he snapped, "You don't care how I feel." Mab looked him in the eye.

"Oh, I do, and it's done me no favours, believe me." There, she'd said it. Let him make of that what he would. Merlin stared at her for several moments without speaking, as though waiting for her to continue.

"What do you mean?" he asked eventually. Mab sighed and rolled her eyes again. Did he really need her to spell it out for him?

"I created you. I pinned all my hopes on you- you were my greatest hope for the future, for the Old Ways, for Britain. You were a great disappointment, you know, when you didn't accept your heritage, your magical powers. When you first vowed never to help me. I could have had you killed, just like that," she snapped her fingers to emphasise the point, "I could have eliminated you as a threat. Has it occurred to you that if I'd done that, I might never have faded away? No, I don't suppose it has. I didn't eliminate you, because I wanted you to come back to me so badly that I fooled myself into thinking that it was a possibility. And then, when I came to my senses and realised that you would never serve me, I still couldn't kill you. I let you go…"

"You trapped Nimue in a cave. How was that letting me go?" Merlin raged.

"I gave you happiness!" Mab snapped back, "I gave you and your beloved Nimue a place where you could live happily together, didn't I?"

"At the expense of the mortal realm!" snapped Merlin.

"Oh, you never change, do you?" Mab snapped in exasperation, "You will never admit that anything I ever did was right. Even when it's been shown to you in front of your own eyes that what you did to me hurt! Even when you've seen for yourself that it wasn't me and the Old Ways poisoning Britain in the first place, it was the fallibility and the weakness of mortal men- Constant, Vortigern, Uther, but no, of course, I forgot, Merlin will never admit that he's wrong, he will never stop seeing himself as the victim, and never stop seeing me as the villain." Mab paused for breath at this point, glaring ferociously at Merlin.

"Oh, I do take after you in some ways then?" he retaliated. Mab glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"When have you ever admitted that anything you ever did was wrong? It doesn't matter how evil and twisted you grow; you'll never see that what you're doing is wrong!"

"Who do you think I saw in my trial, Merlin?" Mab replied, not bothering to shout anymore. Merlin stared at her for a moment, and then comprehension dawned.

"Oh," he said. Then "Oh" again, as he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You saw me, I saw you. What an unpleasant coincidence," Mab sighed. "And yet, we're still going over the same tired old argument." Merlin nodded slowly.

"I thought one of the witches- Gelfling, was it? - said that the trial was supposed to make you a better and wiser person," he said ruefully.

"Why would it? All that you'll ever feel after that trial is guilt and pity. If you feel that for an enemy, you feel angry with yourself and everyone else that you're made to feel responsible for your actions. If it's someone you love, then you'll be eaten up by your guilt. Where's the benefit in that?"

"Perhaps there is some benefit, after you get past the feelings of guilt?" Merlin suggested. "Perhaps it does allow you to have a clearer view on things, have a better life, not feel so bitter?"

"Perhaps," Mab shrugged, "I wouldn't know. I'm no expert on human feelings."

"I doubt that they're all that different from yours," Merlin replied tentatively. Mab realised that he was speaking from his experience in the trial, and was embarrassed for a moment that he'd seen her inner thoughts and feelings, but then shrugged it off, realising that in his comment, Merlin had acknowledged that she wasn't an evil force out to destroy the world, but someone who had thoughts and feelings and emotions. Who wasn't as different from him as perhaps he might have liked to believe.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted," she replied, with a small smile.

"Whichever you prefer," Merlin replied, "Do you think you can walk yet?" Mab nodded. Her robes were still bloodstained and torn- she fixed that with a thought- but most of her injuries were now healed.

"We should go," she stated. "We haven't come this far to give up now."

"My thoughts exactly," Merlin replied, getting to his feet. Mab stood upright, and the two of them began to climb the staircase, aware that some sort of truce had just been established, though neither of them had any idea how it had been reached.

---

Jareth frowned as he watched the two of them in the crystal. He noted that they were walking slightly closer together, and that the animosity that had previously been evident between them was, if not completely gone, then certainly lessened.

Mab and Merlin suddenly making friends again had most definitely not been part of his plan. They might even stop being stubborn and take each others advice. They might cooperate and reach the castle in time, thus humiliating Jareth once again, and robbing him of yet another prize that he hoped to attain. No, that couldn't be allowed to happen. That certainly couldn't be allowed to happen.

Jareth's gaze flicked back to another crystal showing Frik's continued laborious progress, noting that the gnome still had the bottle Jareth had given him tucked away in his pocket. It was time to arrange a little meeting.

Jareth brought out another crystal ball, and threw it into the air between the other two.

---

Mab felt the whirl of Jareth's magic in the air a split second before the stairs beneath her and Merlin gave way, and they fell through into a steep sloping tunnel. As they tumbled down the slope, Mab gritted her teeth.

"_I _hate _this realm!_"

---

Frik screamed- again- as he fell through a large hole that had suddenly appeared in the ground. Wasn't it just his luck to have avoided falling through the trap with Merlin and Mab, only to end up falling through this one. Life was unfair.

When he reached the end of the tunnel, he saw that he was perched on a narrow ledge above a huge expanse of swampland. Gripping the edge of the tunnel to prevent himself from falling off the ledge, he pulled himself upright, and looked around some more. Unfortunately, it was the smell that hit him first. The scent reminded him somewhat of decomposing bodies and sulphur fumes, only about one hundred times worse. The whole place reeked of it. It was enough to make Frik feel sick.

"_Brilliant,_" he grumbled inwardly, "_The Bog of Eternal Stench. The vilest place anywhere in all the known realms, and I had to end up here. And to think I used to be a gnome of good standing…_" His inner lament was interrupted at that point by the distant sound of screams as someone else fell through the tunnel. Before Frik could move out of the way, two figures crashed into him from behind, sending him stumbling forward until he teetered on the brink of the ledge. Waving his arms wildly around in a vague attempt to save himself, all that Frik could think was, "_Please, don't let me drown in the Bog of Eternal Stench. I wanted to live a long happy life, get very rich, and pass away in my sleep…_" What came out was more along the lines of "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Thankfully, one of the people behind him grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him backwards. Tripping over, Frik landed on top of the two behind him.

"Oww!" hissed a familiar voice from beneath him. Frik turned and finally saw who his two companions were.

"Hello, Frik," smiled Merlin. Frik smiled back at him.

"Master Merlin," he greeted with a sigh of relief, "I wondered whether you were alright." This wasn't exactly the truth- Jareth had told him they were both alright, but somehow he thought telling them that would have led to many awkward questions. Flicking his gaze towards Mab, who pushed him off her and glared at him by way of a greeting, he was suddenly reminded sharply of the bottle of liquid in his pocket, and what he had agreed to do, by Jareth's voice suddenly ringing in his ear.

"_Remember, Frith, all she needs to do is drink some…"_

"What's wrong with you?" Mab snapped. Frik realised he must have been staring at her without meaning to.

"Nothing, nothing…" Frik said hurriedly and nervously, looking away and getting to his feet, terrified that Mab would see something in his face and put two and two together in her own unique way to get "Frik is a traitor".

"Should we go?" he continued. The other two nodded and stood. Merlin began to move off along the ledge first, Frik following close behind him, and trying desperately to look neither him nor Mab in the eye.

_Author's Note: And here endeth Chapter 8. The frequency of the updates between chapters are probably about to decrease, as college term starts on Monday, and the requirements of this fic will have to wrestle with the requirements of homework and the college day, and that means that no matter how high a priority fic writing is (My priorities are strange things), time will be pushed. But fear not, more instalments will come._


	10. Pretty Temptations

Chapter 9- Pretty Temptations

_Ah, 'tis good to be back! I'm determined to finish this fic by Christmas, preferably sooner, but I keep getting distracted by college stuff! So, if I let it run on too long without an update again, give me a cyber-kick up the backside to get me back on track. College day is much too long. But at least I have my lovely Merlin DVD to sustain me. Am also getting very excited about new Harry Potter film coming out. Not only do I like Harry Potter, but this film has Miranda Richardson (aka. Mab) in it! And she's playing Rita Skeeter, who I happen to like (told you I was strange). It's like Christmas and birthday all at once! Anyway, enough of my mentalist ramblings, and onto –drum-roll- reviewer responses!_

_Midnight Lady: Yes, it is interesting to see how the Labyrinth would affect people other than Sarah. I always wonder though, when the door knocker won't let her put the handle back in its mouth, why she doesn't just go through the other door? Not that I spend my time contemplating these things or anything…_

_HawthorneThistledown: Thanks. In answer to your question, Ludo and Sir Didymus make a brief appearance in this chapter, but it's not in a very large capacity. The only character from the Labyrinth who's in this fic very much is Jareth._

_tortoisebird: Thank you so much. I do try to write as well as I can, and I'm glad you think I got Merlin right, because I struggle to write him. I'm not really sure what a major is (Brit girl here). Is it the equivalent of a British university degree? Assuming it is, then I probably won't be- Maths for me, I'm afraid. But then, I've only just started studying for A Levels (The exams you take at 17/18), so I might change… Although I don't do English now anyway… Anyway, me gone slightly off-topic here. _

_Jadanni: Thank you once again! I finally did Merlin half-decently! Vis-à-vis Merlin's Apprentice being a disappointment, sad to say that sequels often are- though not always, so we can hold out hope for it- especially if Miranda Richardson's in it (the scary Queen Mab fanatic in me coming out again). As for me writing Merlin's Apprentice, I don't think I could- hard enough to write Merlin properly in prose format. I don't know why, but the characters from Merlin are very hard to write compared to some other films… or perhaps it's just me… _

_WARNING: THIS NEXT REVIEWER RESPONSE IS LIKELY TO MAKE NO SENSE WHATSOEVER TO PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW ME OR "REDDERS". THIS SHOULD NOT BE READ BY PEOPLE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION_

_Redders: Ah! What a wonderful treat to find some delightful reviewings from Mr Redders. Imagine my delight when I saw that you had read and reviewed. But what is this? You still haven't watched Merlin! Disgraceful! In the words of the mighty (or not-so-mighty) JK, you bring shame to me, shame to this fanfic, shame to our college, shame to this website, shame, shame, shame… But, at least you reviewed, unlike certain other people I know, so you do not bring as much shame as you might. But you will still be sent to the Armed Republic of Sintancos as punishment. And forced to watch Merlin and listen to "See the Little Goblin" when you get back (We do not send such things out to Sintancos any more- the people do not like it.) Anyway, in other news, I agree, the Cast of Dozens would be a very excellent addition to the story. Unfortunately, I could not figure out a way to place such delightful characters as Terrence the Lung Monster, Derek the Amoeba and Doreen the Bat in this story. 'Tis a shame._

_Anyway, apologies to other readers for this mentalist outburst- believe it or not, Redders will know what I am talking about. _

_For now, on with the show…_

As the three companions edged along the narrow ledge, Frik stared straight ahead, determined not to look at Mab or Merlin. He was also determined not to look down, but that was for an entirely different reason.

When you were a coward- and Frik was indeed a coward- one generally develops over time, a severe lack of guilt, otherwise one would always be feeling guilty for not playing the hero here, and leaving so-and-so to face this horrific monster there, and running away from the noble cause for battle somewhere in the middle. In this, Frik was no exception. He felt very little guilt nowadays, had done for quite some time, in fact, except on two occasions. One had been for not protecting Morgan from Mab's anger on the day that she had died. The other had been for helping to trick and deceive Merlin, who had always been, if not friendly then at least polite to Frik, even when he was at out and out war with Mab, which was more than Herself had done. And now he felt a stab of guilt again for what he had agreed to do.

It wasn't so much that it was obviously some sort of trap for Mab- Frik had no qualms about leaving her and her devil-spawn darling Mordred to rot in the Underground for the rest of eternity. No, it was the method rather than the purpose that was bothering Frik. Accepting help from Jareth to destroy Mab- was that simply out of the frying pan and into the fire? Getting rid of one evil and selling your soul to another? Jareth had trapped Frik in this Labyrinth in the first place, as well as Merlin and Arthur. His intentions were far from pure- as he had made plain from the start, he wanted Merlin as well as Mab, and he wouldn't complain if he got Frik as well. If Frik helped him catch Mab, would Merlin be drawn into the trap, too? Even if he wasn't, Jareth would certainly be after him, attempting to trap him some other way. If they had to win against Jareth's tricks and traps and downright evilness, then Frik knew- and admitting it, even to himself, left a bitter taste in his mouth- that having Mab as an ally would almost certainly be their only hope. Could his newfound guilt cope with sacrificing Merlin's- and quite possibly his own- freedom to his personal vendetta against his former employer? No, probably not.

But that of course wasn't the only factor to take into account. As previously mentioned, Frik was a coward of astonishing proportions, and he feared Jareth's reaction should he fail to at least attempt to fulfil his role.

Oh, what to do, what to do?...

As it turned out, he was unable to think about it any more, as his worries were interrupted by Merlin suddenly breaking into his thoughts.

"Does anyone actually know where this path leads?" There was a deafening silence in reply to the question. "I'll take that as a "No", then."

"Then why are we following it?" asked Frik, in an attempt at making normal conversation (as well as out of genuine curiosity- he had a violent dislike of paths leading to unknown destinations- in his experience they tended to lead to dead ends, large holes, certain death, or… he shuddered at the memory still fresh in his mind… the Fireys. Or, of course, his personal favourite, all of the above.)

"Because, you idiot, we don't want to stay _here_!" Mab snapped from behind him. Evidently the Queen of the Old Ways, whilst apparently having ceased to persecute Merlin quite so mercilessly, was being her usual sunny, happy self where Frik was concerned. "Don't ask stupid questions." Frik gritted his teeth at Mab's utter lack of any kind of acknowledgement that she had anything less than total right to go back to ordering Frik around and snapping at him after how they had parted ways. Apparently, Mab noticed this action, because she gave him a strange look that could have been suspicion, surprise, or simple irritation- it was impossible to tell.

"I think it was a reasonable request, Mab. We do seem to have bad luck with paths that we just blindly follow," Merlin broke in. Frik, though grateful for the support and the drawing of Mab's direct attention away from himself, noted that there was a difference in Merlin's tone when he spoke to Mab- it no longer held the anger and tension that had been apparent when Frik had last seen them, and he wondered what had happened to them in the several hours since he had seen them last.

"For one thing, there are no other paths to follow. For another, I would have thought not asking stupid questions was practical advice here, seeing as it makes it necessary to inhale enough air to be able to get the words out." Perhaps Mab had meant it as a joke, but the foul air in the Bog of Eternal Stench added validity to her point, and for a while all three of them ceased conversation. After several minutes, however, the silence grew tedious, and the lack of talking as a distraction meant it was impossible to ignore the smell anyway, and so Merlin attempted to start up another conversation with Frik.

"So, Frik, what exactly happened to you after we fell through the trapdoor?" asked Merlin. Frik's thoughts immediately jumped to Jareth, and he felt himself growing awkward and hot with guilt. He hoped fervently that neither of them would notice.

"Well, umm… I carried on walking. Nothing much else happened, really…" Frik trailed off lamely, "…Oh, and I came across another pair of doors. I didn't have to solve a riddle, though. I just knocked on the door. The knockers talked, but they weren't terribly helpful. I went through the door on the right, I think. There were lots of Fireys…"

"What are Fireys?" asked Merlin curiously.

"Jareth's mentioned them, but I've never come across one," Mab admitted, which Frik supposed was his cue to enlighten them as to what exactly the Fireys were.

"They're strange orange creatures. They like fire, and dancing… I think that's what it was, anyway… and they can take their limbs off and reattach them."

"Unusual," Merlin commented. Frik grimaced.

"They don't think so. They think everyone can do it. They spent about ten minutes trying to pull my head off and kick it." Mab let out a snort of laughter from behind him, as well as a muttered comment that sounded suspiciously like, "Why bother taking it off first?"

"What about you, Master Merlin? What happened to you?" Frik asked, having noticed that both Merlin and Mab, as well as having a good deal less of pure unadulterated hatred almost visible between them, bore the scars of some kind of fight. Merlin looked down at himself, them across to Mab.

"Don't ask," they advised simultaneously. Frik didn't ask.

Silence descended upon them once more. The next time it was broken, however, was not due to another attempt at awkward conversation, but by a loud creaking sound coming from the path below Merlin.

"What was… aaaaaaaaaaaah!" Frik began, before interrupting himself with a scream as the part of the ledge below Merlin abruptly gave way, sending him plunging downwards. Frik jumped to the side, grabbing whatever he could to prevent himself from falling down, too.

"Merlin!" Mab cried, and for a moment Frik was surprised by the sound of what appeared to be concern in her voice. This surprise, however, was nothing compared to the one he received when he heard Merlin's voice from not far below him.

"I'm alright. I landed on the bank... There's a bridge down here…" Both Mab and Frik released the breaths they had been holding, and Frik dared to open his eyes to see what he was clinging to. Looking upwards, he saw Mab glaring at him with a look that would have sent Attila the Hun running for his mother, and he realised he had grabbed her round the waist.

"Frik…" she snarled dangerously, "_Get off me!_" She kicked him away from her, sending him falling over the edge to land with a dull thud beside Merlin. Mab jumped down - or more accurately, floated down- and landed in a somewhat more graceful manner than either Frik or Merlin had managed. Looking around, she noticed the bridge that Merlin had mentioned – which was actually a line of rocks very close together that formed a bridge over the marshy bog.

"Do you think we should cross?" she asked Merlin.

"Well, it seems to be heading out of this place, so I'd be inclined to think so, yes." Merlin replied. He turned to Frik. "What do you think, Frik?" Frik shrugged helplessly.

"Yes. I suppose so. Anything to get out of here." Personally, Frik would have preferred a more stable bridge- preferably one made from stone, with very high railings on either side- but he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers, and he wanted to get out of the Labyrinth just as much as the other two.

"_But do you_?" taunted his nasty inner voice that always seemed to place thoughts into his head that he was sure hadn't been there before. It always sounded very like Mordred, for some obscure reason… "_Does it really matter to you if you lose? You've really got nothing in the human world, and you're used to serving a selfish, demanding master. Does it matter to you if you end up serving another, as long as you can make Mab pay for what she did?_" Then, even more disturbingly, "_Perhaps you even _want_ to lose the challenge. Then you can watch her suffer…_" Frik pushed away the angry thoughts, trying to forget about them, and their strangely appealing message.

As they moved towards the stones, they heard a high-pitched voice suddenly cry out.

"Halt!" They all turned abruptly to face the source of the noise. A strange creature that looked somewhere between a fox and a squirrel rode into view on the back of what appeared to be a large, shaggy dog. He was wearing what appeared to be a very small nobleman's costume, and carried a long lance. He rode up before Merlin, Mab and Frik, and announced himself imperiously, "I am Sir Didymus, and this," gesturing towards the dog, "… is my faithful mount, Ambrosius. And this," he continued, using his lance to point towards a large orange creature that was plodding alarmingly fast towards them, "…is my brother, Ludo."

"Ludo brother!" the creature chimed in helpfully, in a deep, rumbling voice. None of the three companions had ever seen two creatures that looked less like brothers. Sir Didymus continued.

"No-one may cross this bridge without my permission!" he announced, "That is my vow, and I will keep it, should it cost me my life!" This, thought Frik, who was watching Mab glaring at the two creatures, was looking exceedingly likely.

"Get out of the way!" snarled Mab. Sir Didymus puffed out his chest.

"I cannot, my lady. I must guard this bridge with my life. No-one may cross without my permission."

"No cross!" chimed in Ludo.

"Look," said Merlin in a calm voice, trying to placate the small knight, "We need to get to the Goblin Castle. We don't have much time. This is the only way out of here. We need to cross."

"I cannot allow you to cross without my permission!" Sir Didymus repeated with irritating unwaveringness.

"I won't tell you again," hissed Mab threateningly. Any sensible creature would have gotten well out of the way at this point, and hidden behind something large and solid- Ludo, for example- but Sir Didymus happened to be incredibly thick skinned, and the idea that Mab might be able to blast him into oblivion in a single thought didn't seem to occur to him.

"My lady, thou cannot hope to fight me…" Sir Didymus began, but was interrupted by this point by Mab concentrating and sending him flying backwards into a tree. Though secretly both Frik and Merlin were glad she had interrupted his irritating mantra, this quickly turned to alarm as Ludo ran at them and Mab with a murderous expression on his face. He leapt at Mab.

"You hurt brother!" he grunted. Mab threw up a shield, and Ludo bounced off it with quite alarming force. The vast orange creature landed on top of Frik who screamed and kicked Ludo off him as best he could. Ludo interpreted this as being attacked, and he then leapt up and chased after Frik, taking more useless swipes at Mab as he passed. Sir Didymus leapt back up and ran to join the fray, before being thrown back by Mab once again.

Merlin, who was watching this whole sorry scene, rolled his eyes at Frik's cowardice and Mab's utter lack of any kind of people skills whatsoever. He threw out his hands and made the sign for "Stop,"

"Stop!" he bellowed, trying to make himself heard. The spell instantly froze Frik, Ludo and Sir Didymus in position where they stood. The spell didn't affect Mab, but it had caught her attention and she ceased fighting, too. "This is unnecessary. We're all wasting time," he said, "Surely we can sort this out another way." He released the spell, and the three that it had affected glanced sideways at each other but didn't start fighting. Sir Didymus was the first to speak up.

"Once again, I have been fought to a standstill," he said admiringly, "And it is a noble knight indeed who knows when not to fight. Come, my friends. Let us all be brothers- and sister-," he added, catching sight of Mab, "…together!" Merlin, Mab and Frik stared at each other.

"Oh. Yes of course," replied Merlin, surprised and gratified to find the matter over so easily. Ludo let out a happy roar and grabbed all three of them in bear-like embrace that felt as though it had dislocated each of their spinal columns.

"Ludo get brothers and sisters!" he smiled. The pain Merlin felt was more than made up for by the expression on Mab's face. There was a picture that truly was worth a thousand words. Eventually, Ludo put them down, and they headed over to the bridge again, before Sir Didymus stepped into their path once more.

"Halt!"

"Oh, for pity's sake!" Merlin exclaimed. This was getting on even his nerves by now. "What's wrong now? You just said we were brothers!"

"Yes," admitted Sir Didymus, "But I will break my sacred vow for no one! And no one may cross this bridge without my permission!" A thought occurred to Merlin.

"Then may we have your permission?" Sir Didymus thought for a moment, then turned to them imperiously and said.

"Yes," before stepping out of their way.

"Thank you," Merlin said tiredly, going to cross the stones.

"Wait!" Sir Didymus called. The three companions turned back, each with an identical murderous gleam in their eyes.

"What now!" demanded Mab.

"You say that you wish to go to the Goblin Castle? Would you care for me to accompany you? I would be happy to assist!"

"No!" they snapped simultaneously. Merlin regained control of his manners for long enough to say "Thank you, Sir Didymus. But we must complete this quest alone." Sir Didymus nodded.

"Very well. I understand. Fare thee well!" he called after them. They crossed the rocks and strode into the trees on the other side.

"I knew there was a reason I hated knights!" Mab hissed under her breath to Merlin. He gave a short laugh, trying to muffle it in case Sir Didymus or Ludo had heard. Frik shot them a strange glance from in front of them, before turning back to the path ahead.

---

The woods that they were in were dark and damp; with twisted roots that were just as likely to break your ankle as perform any beneficial action for the tree. But Frik barely noticed. His attention was distracted by Mab and Merlin's conversation going on behind him. Not so much the content- he couldn't really hear what they were saying- but the fact that they were having any kind of conversation at all. Also, the tone of their voices surprised Frik. Whilst he wouldn't precisely call it friendly, it wasn't all that far off, and it was certainly a long way off from the angry, contemptuous tones that they had both used before. At one point he heard Merlin laugh at a comment Mab had made, and it had surprised Frik so much that he'd actually turned round to stare at them. Not that they'd noticed. No one ever noticed Frik. They'd just continued their conversation, without Merlin trying to talk to Frik, which was what had always happened previously whenever it had been necessary to hold a conversation with Mab.

"_Which begs the question, when did those two get all friendly?_" Frik wondered, with more than a hint of bitterness in his thoughts. He had never thought that Merlin would ever put aside his grudge against Mab. To be forced to cooperate with each other was one thing, to suddenly become friends was another thing altogether. How could he forget all the things Mab had done to him, to those that he loved…

If Frik was to be honest with himself though, he knew that it wasn't on Merlin's behalf that he felt so bitter, it was his own. If Merlin wanted to play forgive-and-forget with Mab, then that was his own business, however ill-advised it might be, and it could stay on Merlin's own conscience. It was the fact that in forgiving what Mab had done to Merlin, Merlin had, however inadvertently, forgiven Mab for what she had done to Frik. To forget what she had done to others, the countless others that she had hurt over the centuries. Was Frik's pain worth so much less than Merlin's? Or had Merlin simply forgotten everything that went along with what Mab had done to him? Merlin was the only one who ever had a chance at fighting Mab, and people like Frik had relied on him to do what they could not. Now it felt like he was setting aside the anger and suffering of thousands.

Anger was not an emotion that Frik felt often, but now, aided by self-pity, he could feel it in bucket loads. Mostly towards Mab, for what she had done, but also towards Merlin for forgiving her. His hand tightened on the bottle in his pocket, as he realised suddenly that Merlin was no longer the only available way of making Mab pay for what she had done. Jareth had given him the means to do it, all he had to do was make sure that he did what he had been told.

---

Jareth smirked to himself at the expression on Frik's face, a reaction hardly enough to reflect the jubilance that Jareth now felt. The image in the crystal shifted back to Mab.

"_Is this what you're looking for, Mab?_" he thought mockingly to himself, glancing through the bars at Mordred. He had decided to take a walk through the dungeons. He had to admit, he found Mab's protégée entertaining. Insulting and blunt, perhaps, and spoilt beyond all belief, he lost his appeal after a while, but was amusing to talk to for a short time.

"What are you smirking at?" Mordred snarled. _Charming_.

"Oh, I was just watching what will soon be mine, dear boy," Jareth replied smoothly, holding the crystal up so that Mordred could see Mab's image. Mordred looked scornful.

"You want Auntie Mab? You don't have a chance," he said dismissively, "She'll destroy you. And I'll help her." Jareth raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yes," Mordred snapped angrily. Jareth laughed.

"Mordred, I have to say, I have nothing but admiration for how your… aunt?... has progressed with my Labyrinth so far. She's a clever and resourceful woman. Which is why it's going to be all the more satisfying to defeat her." Mordred crossed his cell in two strides and slammed his hands into the bars between him and Jareth, who didn't seem worried at all by this show of aggression.

"You won't defeat her!" Mordred insisted furiously. Jareth only smirked again.

"We'll see, Mordred. Soon, Frik will give her my present, and then she won't remember anything about you, or Merlin, or why she came here, or how long she has. We'll see how far she gets then, shall we?"

---

Frik walked along nervously, but determinedly. He couldn't for the life of him think how to get Mab to drink the potion without appearing suspicious, but he was determined to do it.

Behind him, Merlin and Mab were still talking- _How nice for them _– and Frik listened in an attempt to hear what they were saying.

"… Any water around here?" Merlin was saying, "None of us have drunk anything in the last ten hours… well, unless you count that potion, which I don't…"

"I don't think so," Mab replied, "But, tempting as it might sound, would you drink any water you found in this kingdom after going through _that_?" she asked, nodding backwards to the Bog of Eternal Stench.

"Probably not," Merlin admitted. Seeing his opening, Frik pulled the bottle out of his pocket and pretended to drink some, hoping that Mab would notice and ask- or, more likely, demand- to have some.

It worked, in a fashion. Merlin called out from behind him.

"Frik!" Turning guiltily, Frik saw Merlin hurry up behind him. "Where did you find that?"

"Well, I, umm… I…" Frik stuttered nervously. Merlin didn't seem to notice.

"Never mind. Do you mind sharing it?"

"Umm…" Merlin seemed to take this as a sign of permission.

"Thank you, Frik," he said, taking the bottle. Frik watched in horror as he drank some and passed the bottle to Mab. Frik bit down on his lip to stop himself from screaming out. He stood, frozen, unable to move as Mab sipped some of the liquid. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Merlin clutched his throat and gasped. Seeing this, Mab dropped the bottle to the ground. It didn't shatter, merely rolled back to Frik.

"Merlin! What's wrong?" she asked frantically. Merlin staggered backwards.

"Tastes strange…" he muttered, "Something's wrong…" He looked up, staring at something in the distance that none of them could see. He made to walk a few steps forward, seemingly without purpose, no longer appearing to be aware of Mab or Frik. Mab turned. Her eyes shot to the bottle at Frik's feet, then travelled upwards. Comprehension dawned in her eyes, and Frik was suddenly terribly frightened. "_No, no, that wasn't supposed to happen…_"

"What have you done?" she spat at Frik, fury radiating from her. He stepped backwards, away from her.

"I'm sorry…" he murmured in shock, "I didn't mean to…" Mab took a step towards him and Frik realised that she was going to kill him. He cowered back, waiting for Mab to do her worst, feeling all of a sudden that he deserved it. A few feet away, he saw Merlin sink to the ground; not dead, merely dazed and tired looking. "_What in the name of the Old Ways did you make me give them, Jareth?_" Suddenly, Mab stopped in her advance. Her hand went to her own throat, and Frik realised that he had indeed done what he'd set out to do. It felt like a somewhat hollow victory. She stared at him, and Frik saw that she was fighting whatever it was that had happened to Merlin, whatever it was that had sent him into this strange trance. Fighting and losing.

"You've condemned us all…" she managed to say, "You have no idea what you've done…" As Frik stared, her eyes seemed to glaze over and she stumbled backwards, resting against a tree. Although she and Merlin were both still conscious, their eyes seemed dazed and unfocussed, and Frik saw that neither of them were aware of him any more. Then Frik realised what Jareth's plan was. They didn't need to die for him to win. They just had to sit here, unaware of the time running slowly away…

He couldn't sit here, watching them and knowing that soon they would be lost. He couldn't cope with knowing what he had done. He stared at the bottle, wondering whether its contents would bring him the same kind of blissful unawareness that seemed to have gripped Mab and Merlin. Whether it would be any more bearable if he didn't know that their time was running away until it was too late. Staring at it, Frik grabbed it and took a gulp. Yes, he was a coward. Too much of a coward to watch the consequences of his actions.

---

Jareth stared into the three rotating crystals in his hand. He felt almost pitying towards Frik.

"To think, he could have got away," Jareth murmured. He shrugged it off, "Ah, well, the more the merrier." With a flick of his wrist, he sent the crystals spinning away towards the forest. The potion had only been part of the surprise. Now the real fun was about to begin.

---

The crystals drifted down to where Merlin, Mab and Frik lay semi-conscious in the woods. One crystal drifted down to each of them.

Mab noticed the crystal floating in front of her with part disinterest. She didn't recognise it as one of Jareth's crystals, simply because she had no recollection of them. Her memory wasn't gone, but it was confused and fragmented. She knew she was in the Underground, but couldn't think why. She knew there was an urgent reason, and knew that it had something to do with Merlin and Mordred, but she couldn't bring their faces to her mind. She knew Jareth was involved, but couldn't remember quite who Jareth was. She stared at the crystal because it was in her eye-line, and because she was unaware of anything else around her. There was a strange light shimmering in the crystal. Small figures dancing and laughing, surrounded by blinding white light. It was magic, her confused thoughts knew that much. She stared deeper, trying to comprehend it. It seemed to grow larger, engulfing her vision, as though it were dragging her in. Confused as she was, Mab didn't try to resist.

When her vision cleared, she saw that she was now standing in the large room with the dancing figures. They whirled around her, apparently taking no notice of the stranger in their midst. Staring down at herself, Mab saw that her black and purple robes were gone, replaced by a long blue and black dress. She stared around herself, through the mass of spinning and laughing dancers, all of whom were wearing masks, trying to see something, anything that was familiar to her.

"Merlin!" she called out. Her voice, which usually carried a fair distance at its quietest, seemed almost lost in that place. "Mordred!" There was no reply. Mab tried to force her way through the crowds, not sure where she was trying to get. "Merlin!" she tried again. This time, a voice answered her.

"Hello, Mab." Jareth stood in front of her. He was wearing a long blue jacket over his usual attire, and held a mask in his hand. Evidently, he was dressed for dancing. Mab stared at him uncertainly, knowing who he was, but not sure what he was doing here, what he had to do with all this… She knew he was involved somehow, if only she could remember… Jareth held out a hand.

"Care to dance?"

---

Merlin squinted against the blinding white of the walls. Like Mab, he was dazed and confused, his memory fogged, and he had no idea where he was, or what he was doing there. He concentrated, trying desperately to think clearly.

"_I was with Mab. Mab and Frik. There was a forest…_" His thoughts were interrupted by one of the dancers bumping into him and knocking him backward into another woman. She had her back turned to him. She wore a long white dress, and her long brown hair fell partway down her back.

"Sorry," Merlin apologised, "I didn't see you…" The woman interrupted him.

"Merlin?" Merlin froze. He knew that voice, had heard it every night in his dreams. It had been years since he had heard it speaking, but he would have recognised it whenever he had heard it. But surely it would be impossible…

The woman turned to face him. "It is you, Merlin!" she smiled, not sounding all that surprised. It was her. After all these years, she was here…

"Nimue…"

---

Frik stumbled through the crowds. Where was he? This wasn't Earth, or the Land of Magic… Staring down at himself, he saw that his appearance had changed to that of the handsome swordsman he had used to court Morgan Le Fay with.

"_But I can't change my appearance any more…_" he thought, confusedly, "_Not since the day Morgan died…_"

"Frik!" cried an excited voice, "You're here!" And with that, Morgan Le Fay came running out of the crowd to greet him, not as he had last seen her, plain and lifeless, but alive and beautiful and vibrant once more. Flinging her arms around his neck, she placed a kiss on his lips. Amazed, Frik just stared at her, completely and utterly at a loss for what to think. Morgan had died, he was sure of it… At least, he thought he was. Letting go of his neck, Morgan grabbed his hand and dragged him into the crowd, giggling delightedly.

"Come on, Frik! We have to dance!" Frik followed his newfound love unresistingly into the crowd.

---

Jareth spun Mab around dizzyingly, whirling her around the dance floor. Mab stared at him confusedly, trying not to fall or stumble. She still couldn't understand what was happening. She didn't know what Jareth was doing here, but he was the only thing she could see that she recognised, so she stayed with him. But she knew that something was wrong…

"What's going on?" she demanded. Jareth smiled unconcernedly.

"I believe that we're dancing, Mab. You look stunning, by the way," he added. Mab shook her head.

"That's not what I meant," Mab replied. Jareth shrugged.

"What did you mean?" he asked. Mab frowned. What _had_ she meant? She couldn't remember either.

"Where are we?" she asked instead, glancing around at the room.

"Why?" Jareth asked, "Don't you like it?"

"No…yes… Oh, you're twisting my words!" Mab snapped in exasperation. Jareth looked offended.

"Now, would I really do something like that?" he asked. Mab thought for a moment.

"I don't know," she admitted. Jareth smiled to himself, as though enjoying a private joke, and continued to spin her around.

"You don't know? I thought you knew me better than that, dearest." Mab frowned.

"Don't call me that."

"Why not?" Jareth asked laughingly. Mab could see that he was expecting her to say that she didn't know, again.

"Because it's annoying!" she snapped, regaining some of her former temper. Jareth shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

"Where are we?" Mab tried again. This time Jareth did concede to answer her properly.

"We're in the Underground. This is one of the mirror rooms. I use it for dancing, as you can see. Nice, isn't it?" he continued conversationally.

"It's very… bright," replied Mab dubiously. Brilliant white was not exactly to her taste, and it was beginning to give her a headache, which wasn't being helped in the least by Jareth spinning her around. He smirked.

"Not to your taste, I take it? A pity. I'll remember that in future."

"What do you mean, _in the future_?" Mab asked suspiciously. Jareth looked at her, as if surprised that she didn't know.

"Why, when you become my queen of course!" he informed her. Mab glared at him.

"I'm not your queen!" she snapped, "And I'm not going to be, either!" Jareth stared at her.

"But why not?" He sounded perplexed.

"Because I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole!" Mab snapped, her temper rising.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Mab, but aren't you touching me now?" he pointed out, tightening his grip round her waist to emphasis his point. Mab went to pull away, but Jareth swung her round into a dip that, had she gone through with letting go, probably would have culminated in her landing very hard on the floor. He continued to speak. "Why is it that you dislike me so much?" Mab thought for a moment. There was something, she knew there was something, if only she could think of it…

"I…" she started, but trailed off. Jareth fixed her with a strange stare.

"There is nothing," he told her, "No reason why you should dislike me. How do you even know that you dislike me at all?" Mab was confused for a moment. Jareth was right, how did she know that she disliked him? She struggled to remember why it had seemed so important to get away just now, but couldn't.

"There's nothing," Jareth repeated, a lulling tone in his voice, "Nothing to make you dislike me. Nothing to stop you from being my queen…" As if to make his point perfectly clear, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her.

---

Merlin stared at Nimue for what seemed like hours. She smiled back at him, and, as though some kind of spell had been broken, Merlin pulled her close to him.

"Nimue…" he muttered again, through confused tears of happiness. Pulling away he looked into her eyes. "I don't understand. Where are we? How did you get here?"

"We're in the Underground. Jareth brought me here," Nimue told him. Merlin frowned.

"Jareth?" he muttered to himself. The name rang a bell. He knew that he should know who Jareth was, that it was important…

"Merlin?" Nimue called to him, trying to get his attention. She looked confused, not understanding why he was thinking about Jareth instead of her. Merlin turned back to her.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "The name just… I thought it sounded familiar." Nimue placed a finger against his lips.

"Shh," she murmured, "It doesn't matter."

Looking at her, Merlin agreed, "No, it's not important."

"Merlin," Nimue continued abruptly, "Please don't go back to the human world."

"What?" Merlin asked in surprise. Nimue's voice took on a pleading tone.

"Stay here in the Underground, with me." Merlin continued to stare. "There's nothing left in the mortal world for you. No reason to go back." Merlin thought, and found that she was right, he could think of no reason to go back to the mortal realm, nothing that should keep him there. But something in him balked at the prospect of staying here.

"But…" he started. Nimue looked hurt.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to be with me?" Merlin nodded.

"Of course I do!"

"Then stay!" Nimue pleaded, "Stay and we'll be together. Together forever, you and me…"

---

His plan was working perfectly. Jareth was very pleased. If his mouth hadn't been otherwise occupied, he would have laughed with glee. He could see Merlin and Nimue several yards away, embracing and talking earnestly between themselves, and a short distance away from them, Frik and Morgan le Fay were dancing and laughing happily. And he, of course, had just kissed Mab. She looked surprised, but that feeling would be nothing compared to what she would feel when she woke up in the Goblin Castle, memory fully intact once more, and remembered all this.

He was so close to victory. He could feel it, was already triumphant. There was nothing and no-one left to prevent him from winning.

Just then, the large clock in the centre of the room started chiming.

The loud chiming sound jarred Mab out of whatever stupor Jareth had lulled her into, and had the added bonus of triggering something in her memory.

"_Time…_," she thought suddenly, this one thought triggering off a stream of others- the thirteen hour Labyrinth challenge, Jareth's threat, her alliance with Merlin and Frik, and that potion that Frik had given them all. "_We're running out of time_!"

Horrified, she broke away from Jareth's kiss. Apparently unaware that Mab was no longer under the spell of the drugged potion, the Goblin King spoke.

"So? What do you think?"

"I think," replied Mab, eyes blazing, "I think that your plan was very clever. And I think that if you'd wanted it to work, then you should have had the intelligence to remove the clock." She turned and went to walk away. Jareth's eyes darkened, and he caught her by the arm, turning her around to face him.

"Not so fast, my dear," he snarled, "We haven't finished dancing yet." Concentrating, Mab gathered as much of her magic as she could and loosed it at Jareth. She knew it wouldn't hurt him that much- this was, after all, his realm, and he had ultimate power here- but it did succeed in sending him flying several feet backwards. Before he could get to his feet to follow her, Mab vanished into the crowd.

Jareth evidently wasn't following her, but even so, she heard him call out to her.

"Run as fast as you like, Mab. You can't escape, and you've only got an hour left to go…" Glancing at the clock- which was still chiming- Mab saw that he was right. She had to find Merlin and leave.

"_Merlin_!" she called out as loudly as possible, staring from side to side. "_Merlin_!"

---

"Merlin, please say you'll stay!" Nimue pleaded. Merlin stared at her, opened his mouth to agree, and then the chiming started. Like with Mab, the loud chiming of the thirteen hour clock reminded him suddenly and painfully of their challenge, of Jareth. Staring down at Nimue, Merlin was torn for a moment, as he realised that he now faced the choice of staying here with Nimue, and being under Jareth's control, or returning Arthur to the mortal world and losing Nimue once again. But only for a moment.

The realisation of once more being torn between Arthur and Nimue awoke old memories, memories of the day that Arthur had died and Nimue trapped in the cave. When Nimue had seen the choice Merlin had to make, and she had seen the right choice, she had made sure he did the right thing, even though it meant sacrificing herself. That was the sort of person that Nimue was. Always doing what was right, and trying to persuade others to follow that example, too. And there was no way on Earth that Nimue would ever have tried to make Merlin serve Jareth- a plainly evil, or at least dangerous, being- at the expense of the mortal realm. He stared at the beautiful apparition before him, and saw that that was exactly what it was. An apparition. One of Jareth's tricks.

"You're not real…" he whispered. Nimue stared at him in surprise for a moment, then went to open her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an impatient call from Merlin's left.

"_Merlin_!" Mab called frantically, appearing suddenly from the crowd and grabbing Merlin's arm, "We have to get out of here. This is all one of Jareth's illusions. Frik must have poisoned us…" She trailed off when she saw that Merlin was staring at something over her shoulder, and turned to see what it was. When she saw Nimue, her eyes widened in surprise. Nimue didn't react at all to the appearance of the woman who had seen her burned by a dragon and trapped her in a cave, who Merlin had been at war with for all of their time together, except to glance disinterestedly at her as a source of interruption. Then Merlin knew for certain she wasn't real. Still staring at Nimue, Mab spoke to Merlin.

"She's not Nimue. She's just an illusion."

Merlin spoke levelly, "I know." Nimue stared at the two of them, then laughed. It wasn't Nimue's laugh, it sounded cruel and humourless. Stepping backwards until she melted away into the crowd, she seemed to vanish. Merlin waited for a moment, then he and Mab turned and pushed their way through to the edge of the crowd. The walls in front of them were huge mirrors, giving the impression that the room was much larger than it actually was. There appeared to be no exit.

"Where's Frik?" asked Merlin.

"I don't know," replied Mab angrily, "And I don't care. Let him rot here, seeing as he was so keen to bring us all." Merlin stared at her.

"You think Frik…"

"Oh, use your intelligence, Merlin!" snapped Mab, "Of course it was Frik. He gave us that bottle. He knew it would do something, it was written all over his face. It was probably just meant for me, but the fact remains that now we are _all_ running out of time." Merlin stared into the mirror without speaking. Of his two companions, he would never have expected Frik would be the one who would betray them. Mab stared at the mirrored walls, too, evidently pondering how to get out. Then it came to Merlin in a flash. The scene had been inside one of Jareth's crystals. If it still was, the walls would be made out of breakable glass. These mirrors.

"Break the mirror," he told Mab. She glanced at him, but didn't argue. Time was too short. Both of them concentrated, and sent a blast of energy flying at the walls. The mirror shattered, revealing nothing but darkness behind it. Winds shot through the ballroom scene, tearing it apart, banishing all the illusionary dancers, seeming to suck everything out through the hole in the mirror, before the whole thing vanished completely.

Mab and Merlin fell slowly down through the air, coming to land back in the real Underground with a crash.

Jareth cursed as the ballroom crumbled before his eyes. Wishing himself back to the Goblin Castle, he snarled under his breath.

"Must remember to get rid of that bloody clock…"

_Ah, another part ends, and the usual pleas for reviews are sent out. Hugs to all of the people who have reviewed so far._


	11. Friends and Enemies

Chapter Ten: Friends and Enemies

_Good Lord, it has been a while since last update, hasn't it- I hang my head in shame- but I still have the excuse of college. Yippee… Not to mention, with Halloween coming up, I now have to think of a costume that isn't a bat. Not that Halloween isn't an extra-specially fun time of year, being the day that people don't look at you strangely if you dress up, but having to think of a costume every year that won't scare little kiddies is a pain. I was going to be Mab, but that would require me growing my hair about three foot longer and then ironing it to get it flat, and, with the greatest respect to David Bowie, there's no way on God's Green Earth that I'd dress up as Jareth- although I have a friend who probably will… And I've also been spending lots of time listening to my brand new "Labyrinth" soundtrack CD! Not a fan of David Bowie per se, but I love the songs from "Labyrinth". And Trevor Jones is, of course, godly, having done great music for "Labyrinth", "The Dark Crystal", and of course, "Merlin"._

_But anyway, I digress into mentalist ramblings again… Reviewer response time, methinks._

_Jadanni: Ah, you have watched Labyrinth! What did you think of it? About the dancing, I can barely tell the difference between one type of dance and another, so you can imagine as you wish what dance Jareth and Mab were doing. Personally, I had trouble imagining Mab doing either kind of dance, as ballroom dancing didn't exist in the 5th Century. I did do a brief glimpse of Jareth's motivation (basically, Sarah beating his Labyrinth and turning him down made him very bitter and possessive), but it was just that – brief. _

_Tortoisebird: I know I haven't changed much of the content of the film, and I'm trying to work on that. As for making them lose, that will depend on my mood when I write the final chapter. I probably won't be that mean and make them lose, but I might write another fic later as if they had lost, if you know what I mean. _

_Queen-Chick- Yay, new reviewer! Thanks for your comments- I'm also a big fan of Miranda Richardson, and Queen Mab is my favourite of all the characters she plays (as well as being the first role I saw her in). It's really a shame that more people haven't seen her in "Merlin". It's also a shame that there aren't more Merlin fics on here. In the two years or so that I've been reading stuff on here, I've seen 3, maybe four Merlin fanfics maximum, not including this one. I cannot get my Merlin fic-fix… (LOL, it rhymes- sort of… I am ashamed of my pathetic sense of humour)_

Merlin's eyes opened slowly. For a moment or two he blinked, trying to remember where he was, before he was brought back to reality by the pain of a number of sharp objects digging into his back. Pulling himself upright, he saw that they were sharp rocks, and that he was lying on the ground. He ached all over, and his head felt painful and confused- the after-effects, he supposed, of being drugged. Next to him he heard a groan, and he glanced around to see Mab sitting near him, clutching her head. Merlin noted with little interest that she was still wearing the long blue dress from the glass ballroom, and when he looked down, he saw that he was also wearing the same clothes.

"_What does that mean?_" he wondered "_That we were actually there, and it wasn't all a dream after all? Though,_" he thought on consideration, "_The fact that we appear to be in a different place does seem to indicate that anyway._"

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked Mab. His mouth felt dry, and his head was still spinning, so he was fairly sure that his words had sounded somewhat slurred, but Mab appeared to have understood them.

"No," she snapped, in a sharp voice that Merlin was surprised she could muster to any effect if she felt anywhere near as bad as he did, "I'm not. Very rarely have I been less alright. In fact, I'd say that I have reached new heights of not being alright. What a stupid question!" Without waiting for any sort of reply from Merlin, she continued in a threatening undertone to herself, "If I find Frik, I'm going to kill him slowly and painfully." Merlin said nothing for a minute. Frik had been his friend. Although what Mab was saying was almost certainly true, he couldn't feel as certain as she did that Frik truly had betrayed them. And even if he had, he wouldn't have felt comfortable discussing it with Mab, especially not in her present mood.

Pulling himself to his feet, he waited for Mab to do the same. As she stood, Mab seemed to notice, as Merlin had earlier, that she was still wearing the dress she had worn earlier. Disgust showed on her face.

"Why are we still wearing these idiotic clothes?" she asked angrily. Merlin shrugged.

"I don't know, Mab," he replied tiredly, "Does it really matter?" Mab turned on him.

"Oh, you want to be reminded of how Jareth summoned up an illusion of Nimue to trap you in the Underground? How he used her image because he knew you would feel too guilty to leave her behind again, like you did when Arthur died!" Merlin's eyes darkened then. Mab had no right to comment on his feelings for Nimue, and to imply that it was Merlin's fault that he had lost her forever, when it had been Mab's spell that had caused it all was much more than out of line, whether Merlin did feel guilty or not. Mab's mouth snapped shut, and for a moment she looked stricken. She turned away from Merlin. After a moment, she spoke.

"I'm… sorry," she said, as though the word were strange to her, "I shouldn't have said that."

"No," Merlin agreed stiffly and coldly, "You shouldn't." However rare and unusual an apology from Mab might be, some things required more than "Sorry". If Mab was disappointed by Merlin's lack of reaction to her apology, she didn't show it. She stood with her back to Merlin, staring straight ahead of her. After a few moments, Merlin noticed that she was shaking slightly. It was nothing to do with the temperature, which, despite the fact that night had fallen, was still fairly warm, and Merlin realised that Mab was either upset or afraid or both. It was certainly more of a reaction than he'd seen her show before, except perhaps, just before she had faded away. For a moment his concern outweighed his anger, and he broke the silence.

"Are you alright?" he asked again, realising that he was beginning to sound like a parrot.

"Well, this _is_ surprising," she laughed weakly, "I insult Merlin and he asks me if I'm alright." She turned to face him. "You really have changed." Merlin noted that her voice didn't sound anywhere near as confident and steady as it usually did.

"So have you," he countered, "I don't believe I've ever heard you apologise for anything. Well, not sincerely anyway." Mab stared at him.

"How can you be sure I'm being sincere now?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"I have known you for most of my life, Mab; I would like to think that I can tell when you're being sincere. Not to mention you've never been able to act sincerity very well, so either you really did mean your apology, or you've suddenly become a bloody good actress." He smiled tentatively at her, an expression that she returned, and once again, a wordless truce appeared to have been established between them.

"Who did you see?" Merlin asked suddenly, "In that ballroom, who did you see?"

"No-one," Mab replied, looking away again. Merlin stared intently at her.

"I meant what I said before, Mab. You're a very bad liar. I've never seen you look so scared. In fact, I've very rarely seen you look scared at all. You must have seen someone." A thought occurred to him, "Was it Mordred?" Mab shook her head.

"No. It was Jareth." Merlin watched her carefully. She seemed to be telling the truth.

"Jareth?" he echoed. She nodded, "What did he say?" Mab shrugged.

"Not much. He tried to convince me to give up, to become his queen. He kissed me. Then the clock started chiming, and I realised that it was a spell. You know the rest."

"And that's all?" Merlin asked sceptically. "That's why you're in such a state?" Mab glared at him.

"No, Merlin, that is not why I'm in "_such a state_" as you so kindly put it. And it's none of your business why." She took a couple of steps away from Merlin, obviously considering the conversation to be at an end. Merlin, however, did not.

"Are you really that afraid of him?" he asked. This was what he couldn't comprehend. Yes, Jareth was powerful, but not as powerful as Mab had been, Merlin was sure of that. And no, he didn't seem particularly pleasant, but that seemed no reason for Mab to be afraid of him.

"Drop it, Merlin," Mab snarled warningly. But Merlin knew- or was fairly sure- that Mab wasn't going to critically injure him, not now, and he guessed that he could push his luck slightly further.

"I just don't understand," he told her, "I can understand that you don't want to lose, I don't either. I can understand that you don't like Jareth, that you don't want to be his queen, I understand all of that. But Mab, I know you. I've seen you fight, I've seen you watch atrocities, and commit them, for that matter, without flinching. But I've never seen you like this. I don't understand how becoming Jareth's queen could be so bad." Mab's head snapped round to face him. Her eyes blazed angrily.

"No, Merlin, you don't understand. You may think that you have the measure of Jareth, but you don't. You might think you know me, but you don't. Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't feel, and don't tell me that becoming Jareth's bride won't be that bad, because it will." She turned away again, and sat down on a nearby stone, pointedly facing away from Merlin.

"That's not what I was trying to say," said Merlin gently, walking over to her. "I just wanted to understand. If we lose, I belong to Jareth, too, remember? I believe you when you say how bad it'll be. I just wanted to understand why." Mab turned round and scrutinised him for a moment, as though contemplating whether to say something or not. Eventually she sighed and stood up.

"I'm not scared of Jareth, not really," she told Merlin, "I loathe the man, I'm sure you've guessed that by now. His powers were never as strong as mine, the main point of his existence is to fulfil the petty, self important wishes of mortals who don't know any better, and I know he won't kill us before the end of this challenge, because it would spoil his prize. No, I'm not scared of him." She paused.

"But?" Merlin prompted.

"But none of that matters, does it?" Mab asked suddenly, "If we lose, it doesn't matter if I was more powerful than him once upon a time. It doesn't matter if I consider him to be petty or pointless; it doesn't matter that he won't kill us. It all becomes void, because, at the end of the day, he will own us both, and he'll control us."

"But you've just said he wouldn't kill us," Merlin pointed out. Mab glanced at him, half pityingly.

"Do you think that's the worst thing that could happen? Oh, Merlin, there are worse things than death. I thought I'd taught you that if nothing else." Merlin considered this for a moment. He thought of all the people he'd loved and lost, all the times an action of his had hurt someone else, and knew that Mab was right. There were far worse things than death. Mab continued.

"You've seen Jareth. You've seen the way he acts, what he does. Do you really think that he loves me?"

"No," Merlin replied frankly.

"Exactly," said Mab, "So, why would anyone go to such lengths to entrap someone that they didn't love- or didn't even vaguely like- into becoming their bride?" Merlin shrugged.

"I wouldn't know," he replied, "A political allegiance, perhaps. Personal gain of some kind? If they'd been rejected by someone they didn't love, wanting to stop themselves from being rejected again? Pride?"

"Revenge." Mab stated simply. Merlin stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "I think you're right in part. I think Jareth fell in love with the girl who defeated his Labyrinth, and she rejected him. And now he wants revenge, but he can't take it on her, because he has no power over her. So he'll have his revenge on anyone else who hurt his pride. Jareth and I have a somewhat… interesting past. So he'll have his revenge on me for rejecting him by making me his bride. And if I'm right, and I'm almost certain that I am, then what exactly is he capable of?" Merlin understood then.

"You're scared of what he'll do to you when he has power over you," he summed up. Mab had gone slightly paler than usual during her last speech, and Merlin realised that Mab was not only realising what she stood to lose, but how close she now was to losing it.

"I know what he'll do," Mab replied bitterly, "I'm stronger and prouder than he is and he can't stand it. He hates me. That's why he wants control over me, because then he'll be the one with the power. I'll have to obey him, and he knows how much I'll hate that, how much it'll humiliate me, hurt me. But, as if that's not enough, I'm sure he'll put every effort into trying to hurt me even more, to break me, to take away any pride or sense of self worth I have left, and what's more, I'm equally sure he'll enjoy every moment of it. And I have an eternity of that to look forward to. So, if you ask me whether that scares me, then yes, I suppose it does." She looked away from Merlin and sat down again. She was shaking even more than before, and looked uncomfortable. It was the first time in centuries that she had spoken about any of her fears or feelings with another person, and she wasn't used to it. Merlin was quiet for a moment, then he spoke.

"I didn't mean to make you feel worse. I don't blame you for being scared. I am too. But don't let him get to you, not while we still have a chance." He touched her arm awkwardly with a gesture that was meant to be comforting. Mab gathered enough of her composure to look round at him and speak without crying or shaking, or something equally embarrassing.

"Why are you trying to help me?" she asked.

"We did all agree to work together to solve the Labyrinth, remember?" Merlin reminded her.

"But why are you being understanding? You stopped those griffins from killing me, so I'd say any guilt you felt for what you saw in that crystal should have been long assuaged."

"I'm not doing anything out of guilt," replied Merlin, "I just think that we should both have moved on from hating each other by now. There's no point any more, not if we're supposed to be on the same side." Mab nodded.

"True." Both of them paused for a moment.

"Should we go?" asked Merlin after a moment. Mab glanced around.

"Where are we?" she asked, "We only have an hour left. We could be anywhere. How are we going to get to the castle in time?" Both of them glanced around, then looked behind them. A large hill rose up from where they stood. At the top was a large city, surrounding a strangely shaped castle- Jareth's castle.

"Well," said Merlin, "That solves one problem at least." Before they could begin to climb the hill, however, they heard a scrabbling noise behind them. Turning, they saw a figure scramble onto the path in front of them. They saw that it was a man with long blonde hair and a handsome face, and for that reason, it took them several moments to realise who it was.

"Frik." Mab snarled, fury radiating from her in almost visible waves. All the outward signs that Merlin had seen, of the fear she felt, even of vulnerability, were gone in a flash, her features once more a harsh mask of cold determination. She started towards Frik, going to summon a deadly magic blast. Merlin reached out and caught her arm.

"Mab, wait," he said, "Give him a chance to explain." Mab didn't say anything, but ceased in her attack. Ahead of them, Frik heard their voices and looked up, stopping still in surprise and horror when he saw them both standing there, staring at him. Fear, sadness, guilt and resignation crossed his face within moments, and he hung his head. All three were silent for a moment.

"Frik?" Merlin broke the silence. He wasn't sure what he was asking Frik, but he knew he wanted some answers. Frik shuffled uncomfortably.

"Master Merlin," he acknowledged quietly and uncertainly. Mab looked back and forth between them, before hissing in exasperation and turning on Frik.

"Oh, I see you were there, too," she said in a low, dangerous voice, indicating Frik's sudden change of appearance, "Tell me, I'm curious, did you drink that potion out of guilt, or to watch your and Jareth's' clever plan in action?" Her eyes flashed angrily as she spoke. Frik didn't reply, merely looked away, which, of course, did nothing to soothe Mab's temper.

"What was that Frik?" she asked sarcastically, "I didn't quite hear you. I'm sure we're all dying to hear your explanation for why exactly you nearly handed us all over to Jareth. Why you tried to make us lose. Why you nearly destroyed us. We're just brimming with curiosity. Oh, by the way, the ballroom. Whose idea was that, yours or Jareth's? Take away our freedom and have us not even realise until it was too late. Perhaps you're capable of more cunning and cruelty than I gave you credit for? If I'd known, I would have promoted you years ago…"

"I didn't know what it would do!" Frik burst out, unable to bear listening to Mab's accusations any longer. "When Jareth gave it to me, he didn't tell me what it would do." Merlin stiffened.

"So it was you." he stated. Frik nodded miserably. "Why?"

"I never meant for you to drink it, Master Merlin," Frik relied desperately, "I never wanted to trap you here." Mab let out a short harsh laugh from next to Merlin.

"No, you just wanted to trap me. So sorry to have disappointed you," she snapped.

"Frik, it doesn't matter whether you meant to or not!" Merlin cried out in exasperation, "You nearly trapped us all here. What on Earth possessed you to listen to anything Jareth had to say?"

"He only told me what I already knew," Frik replied, "I had to take revenge for what happened to Morgan!"

"You nearly sacrificed us all for revenge?" Merlin snapped. "Not to mention Arthur and all of Britain?"

"She doesn't deserve to get through the Labyrinth, not after what she did to Morgan!" Frik snapped defensively, pointing at Mab, who stared at him with cold disdain.

"Mab's past actions, however questionable they may have been, are not the ones being called into question here," Merlin told Frik sternly. Frik looked from Merlin to Mab and back again.

"Yes, well, that's quite plainly obvious," he said angrily, looking pointedly at Merlin's hand, which was still holding Mab's arm. Mab grasped what Frik was insinuating far faster than Merlin did, and her eyes darkened in fury again.

"You…" she snarled, lunging at Frik again. Merlin pulled her back again, and stepped between the two of them.

"This isn't the time or place for revenge, Frik," Merlin said, his voice sounding angry and disappointed. Evidently, Frik had found his voice, and snapped right back at Merlin.

"If you want to forgive her, that's up to you, but you can't click your fingers and force everyone else into forgiving her, too!" Frik snapped.

"That's not what I'm doing," Merlin said quietly.

"Yes, it is!" replied Frik, "You spent your whole life trying to take revenge on her, but now you suddenly think it's wrong if anyone else does. Or that's how you're acting anyway."

"Frik, we all agreed to a truce before we even entered the Labyrinth, remember?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, but there's a difference between calling a truce and suddenly becoming greatest friends, if Mab even knows what friends are any more!" Mab stepped forward.

"Frik, considering you just tried to poison your only friend, I wouldn't start accusing other people of not knowing what friends are." Her voice was at its normal volume, but the menace in it was unmistakeable. Even in his incensed mood, Frik didn't dare look Mab in the face and insult her directly, so he glowered and looked away.

"Enough of this," Merlin said tiredly. "We don't have the time for it. I assume you still want to complete the challenge, Frik?" Frik nodded.

"But, Master Merlin," he muttered, his voice losing some of it's anger, and more resembling his normal, servile voice, now that it seemed he had been accepted back into the fold, "Why is it that you want to help her complete the Labyrinth?" Merlin and Mab, who had begun walking again, whirled back round to face Frik at this question. Merlin looked more than a little irked, whilst the expression on Mab's face was unreadable and cold. Frik knew from experience that it was one of her more dangerous looks.

"Because, Frik," Merlin ground out, "Like it or not, you and I and Mab are working together. If she loses, we lose. I assume that's not what you want?"

"Why not?" Frik asked dully, "I served her for centuries, I was used to it; I can't imagine that Jareth would be any different…" He knew the instant he'd said it that, somehow, he'd just made a serious mistake. Merlin whirled to face Mab, knowing what her reaction would be, but he was too late to hold her back this time. Mab reached Frik before he could blink, and struck him across the face with all the strength she and her magic could muster, knocking him to the ground.

"How dare you!" she snarled furiously at Frik, going to summon another magic blast, "I am _nothing_ like Jareth!" She was livid, angrier than Frik could remember seeing her in a long time, and he cowered back in fear. Merlin darted forward and pulled her away from Frik. Mab turned on him.

"_Get your hands off me!_" she shrieked, striking out at Merlin, too. Her hand struck him across the face, though thankfully, she was at the wrong angle to do him any real damage. He winced, but didn't let go.

"Mab, calm down!" he said loudly, "It won't do any good." After a moment, Mab's blinding rage abated somewhat, and she stopped trying to struggle out of Merlin's hold and finish Frik off. She continued to glare angrily at Frik, who tried not to catch her eye, but clambered to his feet, and stared bitterly at the pair of them.

"Well, don't you two look charming together?" he remarked sarcastically. Merlin let go of Mab and stepped away from her awkwardly, finally realising what Frik was implying. Before either of them could make an angry response- and it looked like they both wanted to- Frik went on, talking to Merlin alone, this time, "You've changed, Master Merlin. You never would have helped her before, never let her help you, never gone near her. Why have you changed?"

"You mean why don't I let revenge and hatred rule my life any more? Because I can't afford to, Frik. I don't want to spend my entire life hating people when I don't have to and having enemies where I needn't have them. That's why I've changed." Frik sighed.

"Master Merlin, you're being obtuse again."

"Oh?" Merlin snapped, "And how am I being obtuse, exactly, Frik?"

"Because, Master Merlin," replied Frik, "It doesn't matter whether you want her as your friend, or enemy, or whatever else, because if and when we reach that castle, Arthur and Mordred are going to have to fight, and then the two of you will be on different sides, anyway. The Old Ways and Christianity, war and peace, Camelot and Mordred, they can't exist alongside each other." He stared back and forth between the two of them, as though daring them to disagree, "You're not friends. You can never be friends. The minute that we're away from here, you'll be at war again, and if you thought about it for a second, you'd know that I'm right!" Frik stopped here, looking surprised, as though the words had come tumbling out of their own free will. There was silence for a moment, as Merlin and Mab digested Frik's words, both realising that he was right. Outside of the mortal realm, they could be allies, maybe even friends, but in the realm of men itself, the two of them stood on opposite sides, that neither would willingly abandon, and that could never coexist. When Mordred and Arthur fought, one of them must emerge victorious, one side would win over the other, and whoever lost would be left to pick up the pieces and try and carry on the fight in the name of their respective champion. They would indeed be enemies again, and it would have terrifying repercussions, not just for them, but for the whole of Britain. They'd let themselves forget, and the reminder was painful and jarring. Staring awkwardly at each other, the Queen of the Old Ways, the wizard who'd defied her to put a Christian king on the throne, and the gnome who'd seen both sides of their war years ago, moved slowly towards the Goblin City, and their separate, yet tightly intertwined fates.

_Sorry, this chapter's quite a bit shorter than the last one, but the demands upon my time are growing, sadly. I thought I'd better post this chapter up now before everyone thought I'd forgotten about it. I'd love to say the next chapter will be up very soon, but knowing my luck, that would probably jinx it. So, the next chapter will probably be up within the next month, hopefully sooner. _

_Again, please R+R, and thanks to those of you who have already done so._


	12. See the Little Goblins

Chapter Eleven: See the Little Goblins

_Oh, come on, I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by to call a chapter "See the Little Goblins", could I?_

_Grrrr, I knew saying that the chapter would be up soon would jinx it. My computer died for just over a week, putting a slight halt to the process- my apologies for the delay._

_In other exciting news, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is now out! Miranda Richardson is, naturally, fantastic, and the bouncing ferret scene was classic! (Sorry to people who haven't seen the film or read the book, you won't know what I'm talking about, but believe me when I say, it's funny!). Also, is everyone getting excited about Merlin's Apprentice yet? I must know release dates! I am ridiculously, insanely excited about it. But then, I am ridiculous and insane anyway!_

_Now for the reviewer responses…_

_Queen-Chick: Thanks- I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I'm glad people understood what I meant about Mab's fears about losing, etc. To be under Jareth's control would be an unpleasant fate indeed…_

_HawthorneThistledown: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I have every intention of seeing this story through to the end, don't worry (or worry, depending on your outlook)- which, as you've probably guessed if you've watched Labyrinth, isn't too far off._

_Jadanni: Thanks once more! Ah, I'm glad people liked the whole fear-of-Jareth's-control-rather-than-Jareth. I thought it was fairly unlikely that Mab would fear Jareth himself, but that the idea of being under someone else's control- especially someone like Jareth- would be more scary to her._

_Incapability- Thanks for reviewing- I love Mab too (though you already know that since we have emailed each other since I posted the last part!) I also love your Merlin fics! Merlin fics give me warm, happy feelings on the inside. Especially ones as good as yours. _

_Now, onto Chapter 11, complete with goblins!_

The tension between the three was almost palpable as they approached the gates to the Goblin City. Part of it was to do with the sudden proximity to the culmination of their challenge- however it turned out- but mostly it was because of Frik's unusual and all too true outburst earlier.

Frik shuffled guiltily along behind Merlin and Mab- having finally realised that, after what he had done, discretion was almost certainly the better part of valour. He didn't dare speak to either of them, partly because, after Mab's sudden violent outburst earlier, he feared for his life, and partly because, if they didn't kill him or shout at him, he knew the feeling of guilt would be almost unbearable.

He glanced between Merlin and Mab, both of whom were doing an excellent job of not looking at each other, regarding them curiously. He could see that his earlier angry outburst- fuelled by anger, resentment, guilt, and perhaps a touch too much illusionary wine- had affected them both. Even Mab seemed strangely subdued, which, as Frik knew, was an exceedingly unusual, almost noteworthy occurrence. He thought back over what he had said earlier- that they could never be friends, that as soon as they were back in the Realms of Men (that is, of course, providing they managed to get back to the Realms of Men, which was by no means a certainty), they would be at war again, because what they each represented was too incompatible to exist alongside the other. It was true, all of it, and it was surprising to Frik that neither Mab nor Merlin had realised it before- though not half as surprising as there being a reason for them to realise it.

His anger towards Merlin for forgiving Mab had deflated somewhat- the boy had the right to forgive her if that was what he chose, and he shouldn't have to carry the vengeance for all the people Mab had wronged down through the years on his shoulders, Frik admitted that now, albeit reluctantly- and it had been replaced by curiosity at what must have happened for the wizard to even contemplate something like friendship with his old adversary.

Frik generally didn't consider himself an expert on humans and their emotions (though it was possibly one of the few areas in which his knowledge outclassed Mab's- not that that was saying very much), but Merlin, he had thought he had, at least partially, figured out. The young wizard (Frik still thought of Merlin as young, despite the fact that he would soon be pushing the boundaries of middle age) had always been inextricably linked to the Old Ways, from the moment of his magical conception, which Mab had counted on to ensure his loyalty to her, believing that her blood in his veins would make him obey her unquestioningly, but she had set far too much store by the magical half of his heritage- he had still been part human, and had been brought up in the human world- when he had come to the Land of Magic for the first time, his humanity was all that he had known, and the human values and morals that Ambrosia had brought him up with were so deeply ingrained within him, that he couldn't accept the darker, and often crueller world of magic. Despite the fact that Mab had created him, that he was half hers, he didn't understand how she could set so little store by people, and so much on ideology- how she saw restoring the Old Ways as more important than the many lives that would be lost in the process. Frik had always thought that after seeing Mab for what she was, Merlin had turned his back on that part of his heritage, using his magic sparingly, and rebelling against Mab's every expectation of him.

But whatever his feelings towards the Old Ways, Merlin had been part of them, and they had been part of him- nothing would change that. Frik wondered if, perhaps, now that Merlin had lost everyone else that had ever loved him, now that his human side was almost empty, he was finally beginning to regret the loss of the rest of himself. Perhaps he was trying to reconcile himself with his magical half to give him some peace of mind.

All of that, Frik could comprehend- perhaps even understand. What he also knew, however, was how stubborn Merlin was – a trait that he appeared to have gained from Mab- and Frik couldn't imagine Merlin giving up his grudge against Mab without something drastic happening to make him do so.

Even more puzzling, however, was Mab's sudden change of heart. Flicking his glance towards his former employer, Frik remembered Mab's ruthlessness towards her enemies- it didn't matter who they were, whether or not Mab had known them, or even if she had been close to them, if they turned against the Old Ways, then Mab would turn on them, dealing with former friends and lovers as mercilessly as she had dealt with strangers and old enemies. The Old Ways and, by extension, her subjects, were her first loyalty. In that, Frik admitted, she had been a good Queen of the Old Ways. She may have created Merlin, but once he had turned against her, and it became obvious that he wasn't coming back, Frik had written Merlin off as someone who was bound to become a victim to Mab's fury sooner or later. He had defeated her, thus escaping her wrath, but Frik would have thought that that alone would be enough to bring all the fury and anger of the defeated Queen of the Old Ways down on him should their paths ever cross again. From what Frik had seen of her temper, she certainly hadn't suddenly become averse to aggression- defeat may have hurt Mab, Frik didn't know, but whatever else it had done, it hadn't made her soft- and yet, here she was, not only agreeing to a truce with Merlin, but seemingly having formed some kind of friendship with him- which was more of a bond than Mab had had with anyone for hundreds of years.

Frik remembered the hours they had spent alone after falling into the Oubliette, and how both of them had been reluctant to talk about what had happened. He suspected that something had happened to them during those hours, and Frik was exceedingly curious as to what it was. Not that he planned to ask them- not whilst Mab was still likely to kill him as soon as look at him, and not whilst even Merlin looked angry every time he caught Frik's eye. No, unless either of them volunteered the information (which, let's face it, wasn't likely), Frik would just have to ponder and guess what had happened between the Oubliette and the Bog of Eternal Stench to bring about this sudden change of heart in two people he thought he had known.

---

As they neared the city gates, the air began to subtly change, as it had before in the witches' forest- except now, instead of the magic of the Labyrinth growing weaker, it was growing stronger and stronger, increasing in its power at a fearsome rate. This was the centre of the Labyrinth, Jareth's home, where his followers were the loyalist, his weapons, the fiercest, and his magic the strongest. Everything bad about the magic of the Underground radiated out from this point, as though it were the epicentre of some kind of earthquake. Each of the three companions could feel it, but no-one felt it more strongly than Mab.

As she drew nearer to the home of her old enemy, and the end of her challenge, one way or another, the former Queen of Air and Darkness felt a deep sense of foreboding growing within her. Up until that point, any worries she might have had were exclusively to do with what would happen if she lost the challenge, what Jareth might do to her then. Apart from the brief combat with the griffins, which had been an unrivalled disaster, Mab had remained convinced that the significant amount of power at her command was enough to protect her from any enemies she encountered in this challenge. Now, however, everything could be about to change. This was nearing the final stages of the challenge- whatever happened now could decide their fates, and if she knew that, then so would Jareth. This was his city. This was where he would keep most of his weapons and warriors- his main arsenal. He may have stopped shy of harming them before, but Mab knew that that courteousy would not be extended any more. If Jareth tried to hold back here, then he might have his prizes unharmed and unspoilt, but he also ran the risk of not winning them at all- Mab knew that if preventing them from getting away meant them being harmed, even fatally, then Jareth might be slightly irritated, but he wouldn't care that much, as long as his pride remained intact.

She knew that, out of herself, Merlin and Frik, her powers were the most formidable, and she was confident that she could defend herself from most enemies that Jareth put in her way, but as for Jareth himself… Although Mab knew that Jareth was still not as powerful as she had once been, she also knew that her own power had weakened- not to mention the fact that she was out of practice with using magic after her long stint in the void, a disadvantage that Jareth did not have. As well as this, here in the Underground her own magic was less potent, and Jareth held ultimate sway over this entire world. Much as it hurt her pride to admit it, if she and Jareth were forced into a battle of magic here, Mab knew she almost certainly couldn't win. All this knowledge, combined with the rapidly increasing and hostile power she could feel emanating from Jareth's castle, was enough to raise dread in even her mind.

Even so, she steeled herself for whatever they might end up facing. Mordred was in there, she reminded herself, and if she could reach him in time, she could have him back. That had been the deal, the one factor that had forced her into agreeing to take on Jareth's Labyrinth when nothing else could, the one thing that she'd risked absolutely everything for. She told herself that if she could just keep going, just reach him, then everything would be alright. She needed to get Mordred back, before she lost her senses completely.

Frik was right, Mab knew that. She and Merlin could never be friends, could never be anything but enemies. Yes, Merlin might be kind to her now, say the right things, try and see things from her point of view, admit he might have been wrong, saved her life… She shook her head in irritation to stop the annoying voice in her mind from rattling off a list of Merlin's good points and get back to her original train of thought. Yes, Merlin may have his good points, he may have changed slightly on the surface, but fundamentally there was no more difference between them than there had ever been. Merlin still saw Arthur and the other Christian lords of Britain as his first priority, even though he knew that Mab could not exist in the same world as they did. Whatever his own personal feelings for her, he was still, for all intents and purposes, turning his back on her and betraying her yet again. If they found Arthur and Mordred, and if Arthur managed to kill Mordred, Merlin wouldn't care that Mordred was dead, wouldn't care what his death would do to Mab, wouldn't care what happened to her afterwards, he would just be happy that Arthur had won. Mab had been an idiot to believe that she could ever trust him. Mordred was the only person she could trust, the only person who would truly be loyal to her. Once she had him back, she wouldn't need anybody else, especially not Merlin.

It was while she was thinking this that they arrived at the large iron gates. They paused beside them without speaking and glanced at each other, not saying anything. Eventually Merlin broke the silence.

"Should we just walk in?" he asked.

"You'd rather scale the walls?" Mab asked snappily. Merlin looked surprised at her tone, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he pushed the gate open, and the three of them stepped forward, steeling themselves for an attack.

None came. The gate, rather than leading directly into the city, instead led to a small courtyard, which then led onto the city via another, even taller gate, with what looked like a strange metal warrior engraved into the iron. As they stepped forward, the gates they had just entered through slammed shut behind them. Mab stared at them, the sense of foreboding growing stronger. Frik let out a whimper from behind her.

"It's only a gate shutting, Frik." Merlin said in exasperation. "Half the doors and entrances we've gone through have shut behind us. Pull yourself together, please!" Frik shook his head, and let out another stifled squeak as he pointed towards the other gates, from which an ominous creaking sound was coming. Merlin and Mab both turned to face it, just in time to see the large metal creature step out of the gate, and start towards them. It was huge, at least three times Merlin's height, and, despite being large and hulking, covered quite a lot of ground fairly quickly. Somehow, Mab didn't think it was coming over to make friends.

Mab sent two fireballs hurtling at the creature in quick succession. They exploded harmlessly about three inches away from the creature, who didn't seem to even register that it had been attacked.

"It's resistant to magic. Like the griffins," Merlin remarked on seeing this. He looked more than a little worried- presumably, he was remembering the fun he and Mab had had trying to get rid of the griffins. Mab shook her head in disagreement.

"No," she told him, "That creature isn't naturally resistant to magic. Someone's placed a shield around it." She stared at the creature, thinking for a moment, "Try and distract it for a minute." Merlin nodded- normally, Mab would have been surprised, and perhaps more than a little pleased, if Merlin had followed instructions she had given without question, but now was not the time, and besides, Mab was in no mood to think well of either Merlin or Frik at that moment. Not that Frik gave her any reason to.

"Distract it?" Frik moaned piteously, "How exactly am I supposed to distract _that_? It'll squash me flat within two seconds!"

"Believe me, that will be an infinitely preferable death to the one I'll inflict on you if you don't do as I say _now_!" Mab snarled. Frik sighed in resignation and unwillingly followed Merlin towards the large metal creature. Mab turned her attention back to the creature itself, closing her eyes, and using her magical senses instead. If she was right, and the creature was surrounded by a shield, then there had to be a weak point in it- a join, where the shield was at its weakest. If she could find that, then she could destroy the creature with magic, but she had to concentrate hard. The join would be small, and difficult to sense. If that creature attacked her it would break her concentration- and probably her neck as well- which was why she needed Merlin and Frik to keep it away from her.

Concentrating, she began to carefully scan for any weaknesses she could find. She could sense occasional bursts of magic coming from Merlin's direction- evidently, he was trying to lure the creature with magic. Mab couldn't sense what exactly Frik was doing, but by the sounds of it, it was along the usual lines of screaming and running away.

Suddenly, the creature swiped out with its massive arm, knocking Merlin several feet backwards. He came to rest several feet away, and didn't get up again. Mab forced herself to resist the urge to open her eyes and look. If she didn't keep working at finding a chink in the creature's armour, they would all be dead. Besides, she told herself, she didn't care what happened to Merlin anymore.

The creature, having dealt with Merlin, began to head towards Mab. She should have known that she couldn't rely on Frik to provide any kind of support that might end in his injury. She kept her eyes shut, still scanning to try and find the join. She had to be close now, if she could just find it…

The creature was standing right in front of her. Frantically she continued to try and find it, knowing that if she didn't locate it in about five seconds then the creature would crush her.

The creature raised its arm above its head, ready to dispatch her. Several metres away, she sensed Merlin sit up again.

"Look out!" he cried when he saw what was happening.

Mab forced herself to keep searching "_Jareth will _not _defeat me…_", and, just as the monster swung its arm back towards her, she finally sensed it, a tiny area where the shield was at its weakest, and sent absolutely every last fibre of magical energy she could muster flying at it.

It worked. The blast penetrated the shield and hit the creature, which shuddered for a moment, then exploded in a mighty blast of magic and shrapnel, which flew out in all directions.

---

Merlin was the only one of the three who succeeded in casting an effective shield spell. Frik, of course, couldn't use magic, and was sent skidding backwards across the ground to land in a rather undignified heap against the opposite wall. Mab had been standing too close to the creature to have had time to cast one, and even if she could have done, she didn't have enough energy left to maintain one, and the sheer force of the magic blast would have disintegrated it. Merlin saw her crash painfully into the wall behind her, but the light from the explosion grew too bright, momentarily blocking his vision, and he lost sight of her.

When the smoke had cleared, he scrambled upright and glanced around.

"Ouch…" Frik moaned piteously, pulling himself upright. Merlin gave him only the merest glance, if Frik was well enough to complain, then he would most probably live. Merlin crossed to where Mab was lying on the floor. The blast had been powerful, powerful enough to kill any human, and whilst Mab was far more than human, her powers had been drained too much to protect herself…

Merlin was startled by the sheer force of his worry, and tried to block out the idea that his worry for Mab was anything more than generic concern for someone he'd just seen injured. Like Mab, he had seen some truth in Frik's words, and was also trying to force any feelings he might have towards her other than animosity or a truce of necessity out of his mind.

Kneeling down next to her, he shook her arm gently, and felt her stir. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he shook her arm again, harder, until she opened her eyes and sat up, clutching her head.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked worriedly. Mab glanced towards him and blinked a couple of times, went to speak, and started laughing. Merlin stared blankly at her for a few seconds. He saw nothing funny about this situation whatsoever. Besides, when was the last time he'd seen Mab laugh about anything at all?

"Mab?" he tried again, wondering if it was just momentary shock, and if she would snap out of it if he tried talking to her again. She didn't. Frik walked gingerly over to the two of them and stared at Mab, who was still sitting on the ground laughing helplessly.

"Ah." He said tentatively after a moment, "This could prove problematic."

"What?" groaned Merlin. How could this challenge possibly get more problematic than it already was?

"Mab appears to have been temporarily incapacitated. This can happen sometimes, if someone uses up most of their powers just before coming into contact with a powerful magic blast. It can produce a certain amount of…giddiness, I suppose is the word, in the individual. It's only temporary," he added hopefully, seeing the look on Merlin's face.

"How temporary, approximately?" asked Merlin, not entirely sure that he wanted to know.

"Oh, several minutes, I should think. About twenty?" Frik guessed. Merlin stared at him for several moments before speaking.

"Please tell me that you're joking?" Frik shook his head without speaking. "Frik, we have less than an hour to get through this city, infested with goblins, get to the castle and find Mordred and Arthur before we end up trapped here for an eternity. The strongest magical fighter we have on our side is now a complete giggling wreck. We don't exactly have twenty minutes to spare." Frik shrugged helplessly, as if to say _"What do you expect me to do about it?"_. Merlin sighed.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Perhaps we should go on ahead and try and get to the castle?" Frik suggested. Merlin shook his head.

"We can't leave her here, not in this state," he replied, gesturing towards Mab, who seemed to be simply ignoring them at the moment, just sitting there giggling to herself, "Besides, how far will we get without her?"

"Well then," replied Frik helplessly, "I suppose we'll just have to bring her with us and hope she snaps out of it sooner rather than later." Merlin nodded unenthusiastically. Impractical though the solution might be, there was no way on Earth- and certainly not in the Underground- that they could afford to waste nearly half of their remaining time sitting here and doing nothing. Pulling Mab to her feet, he guided her towards the gates and into the Goblin City.

For a moment, he was struck by how small everything was. Even the tallest houses rose barely two feet above his head. The machinery and other items that he could see were tiny, made to be a suitable size for creatures half the size of a human. But after this he was struck by something slightly more suspicious. The streets were completely deserted. There were no sounds coming from the houses, or even from far off to indicate a gathering somewhere else.

"_They're waiting for us,"_ Merlin realised in dismay. The goblins were either waiting to ambush them, or watching them to report on their movements to Jareth. When the goblins found them, Merlin knew that they wouldn't be able to make their way to the castle without a fight. Not that it would be exactly hard for them to find, with Mab giggling at a fairly considerable volume, and Frik crying out every time he saw anything at all that looked suspicious or frightening (this, according to Frik, was practically everything).

"Mab, please _hush_!" he whispered in desperation. With Mab incapacitated as she was, and their time running dangerously low, they really didn't need a run in with the goblins slowing them down as well. It didn't stop Mab from giggling, but she did manage to mute it slightly. As they continued walking through the streets, a sudden noise from in front of them caused Merlin to stop short. Several feet ahead of them a goblin, dressed in what appeared to be a guards uniform, walked out from a small alley between two buildings, crossing their path to reach another alley on the other side of the road. Merlin stopped perfectly still and silently, hoping it wouldn't look round and notice them if it didn't hear anything. Behind him, Frik did the same.

Mab, however, in her slightly giddy state, didn't notice the sudden silence that had descended upon her two companions, and pointed at the goblin ahead of them.

"Look! A goblin!" she pointed out, still laughing. The goblin jumped and turned quickly towards the source of the noise. Cursing under his breath, Merlin grabbed Mab and Frik and pulled them through several narrower alleyways quickly, eventually tugging them into a small space behind a building, and placing his hand over Mab's mouth to prevent her from making any more noise. He peered out into the alley, unsure if the goblin guard had been following them or not. Mab cried out plaintively from under his hand.

"Mab, will you please _be quiet_!" he hissed at her, as a horrible certainty suddenly flooded him for no apparent reason, "Jareth knows we're here."

---

Jareth stared into the crystal furiously. How could they have reached the city? Despite every trap, every trick, every illusion, every temptation he had placed in their way, somehow they were here.

The Goblin King was furious. He would not allow himself to be made a fool of in front of his subjects again, particularly not by Mab and her irritatingly persistent creation. He would see them both kneel before him, willingly or not, but he would not see them walk free. He would not let another escape. And if he really couldn't have them- if they really were so much more determined and resourceful than he gave them credit for, he would simply have to crush them before they had a chance to win.

However, Jareth didn't want to have gone to all this trouble simply to have to destroy the prizes to his contest before he had even had a chance to enjoy them. Mordred and Arthur, important as they were by the mortal worlds' reckoning, were nothing to him. He wanted Mab, and Merlin- both of them were powerful enough to claim as trophies, to all those who criticised him, and told him he had lost his touch. Not to mention that he and Mab went back a long, long way. He'd desired her for a long time, once. Not love, of course, the only woman he'd ever felt love for was Sarah (for all the good it had done him)- his attraction to Mab had been purely based on the physical, and the fact that, whatever her faults, Mab was an intriguing and interesting woman. However, Mab had spurned his advances, mocked him, and treated him with disdain. She didn't care for Jareth, and she made that perfectly obvious. She'd also been among those who mocked him for losing his touch with the Labyrinth- not that she had very high opinions of his kingdom in the first place, she'd told him numerous times that it was pointless, cruel, and ultimately self-indulgent (Very much, she'd said, like Jareth himself). It was obvious that she considered him to be beneath her, that he was less powerful, less important, call it what you would. It had made Jareth angry at the time, and bruised his pride considerably, though nothing like what Sarah had done to him, but at the time, he'd never thought of seeking revenge for her treatment of him. Mab was too powerful, and he wouldn't have been the first to be spurned by her. Such was life, accept it, move on, or keep trying. When Sarah had foiled and humiliated him, however, his anger at everyone who'd ever crossed him had grown slowly, as had his desire for revenge, and his self indulgency. After all, if he wanted something, or someone, why shouldn't he have them? Indulge himself, knock back the criticisms that he had lost his touch, and gain more power and influence for his own kingdom, not to mention assuaging his own wounded pride. Mab had been so proud, so haughty, so high-and-mighty… well, she still was. Look at her now, no kingdom, no subjects, no real existence to speak of, and her once formidable powers torn away at, and she still thought she was better than he was? She deserved someone to tear away some of that pride and arrogance, and give her a taste of her own medicine- and more. She'd humiliated and hurt him once, but that would be nothing compared to what he would do to her in return. Jareth wasn't even sure that he was particularly attracted to Mab anymore- granted, she was still beautiful and intriguing, but after Sarah, somehow he just couldn't seem to work up any warmth in his heart towards anyone. When he finally won this challenge, and Mab along with it, he had no interest in trying to win her affections, merely to own her. If he managed to have some fun with her, which he fully intended to, that was merely an added bonus.

Capturing Merlin was, he admitted, self indulgence on his part. The wizard had never crossed him- had never even heard of him before today. Jareth had no reason to take revenge on him particularly- though Merlin was too self righteous for Jareth's taste, Jareth couldn't stand self righteous people- and, added to that, he wasn't really sure he had any real need for a wizard here in the Underground. Merlin –and Frik too, no doubt- would probably end up as servants of no particular use. But then, he reminded himself, he had no need for a bride, either, but that wasn't to say he couldn't have one. It was fun to toy with mortal minds, and immortal ones, too. Merlin could prove amusing if nothing else. He might even find that he had need of a wizard one day.

"_Not to mention Merlin's charming new friendship with Mab_," Jareth thought to himself. It would be interesting to see how that developed. Jareth had found over the years that his skills as a manipulator were such that he could turn almost anything to his advantage. If Merlin and Mab really had decided to form some sort of bond, then he could use that against both of them.

But all this was just speculating. Before any of this could occur, he had to make sure that he won. A mere technicality, perhaps, but still, he didn't want to run the risk of losing when victory was in his sights. He would make sure that Mordred and Arthur were almost impossible to find, when and if Merlin, Mab and Frik reached the castle. Which was still not a certainty.

---

Merlin wasn't sure how long they stayed crouched in the alley. It couldn't have been that long- Mab still hadn't snapped out of her strange state, and was laughing to herself beneath Merlin's hand. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. He made a mental note to himself, swearing that if they finished this challenge in time, he was never going to let Mab forget this. On the other hand, if they didn't finish the challenge, Merlin was fairly sure they'd have even worse things to look forward to. He knew they had to get out of there as quickly as possible, before they ran out of time, but he didn't want to run the risk of bumping into any more goblin guards. Eventually, the matter was decided for them, when one of Jareth's crystals rolled around the corner to rest at their feet. Merlin saw it and cursed again.

"Run!" he told Frik, dragging Mab along as he ran in the opposite direction to the crystal. When they reached the main streets, however, Merlin saw that the crystal had done its work. Dozens of goblins lined the streets, stretching in every direction that he could see. All of them were armed, and he really didn't fancy trying to fight them all.

Ducking into a nearby house, he slammed the door behind him, hoping to hold the goblins off for a short while. Despite it being one of the larger houses, he banged his head against the ceiling at least twice during the course of getting in. Mab sat down on a nearby table still laughing, whilst Frik started quietly- or not so quietly- panicking.

"We're going to die!" Frik moaned in terror. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Frik, we are not going to die! Why would Jareth kill us now when all he has to do is wait for us to get trapped in here for the rest of our time, and you to worry yourself into an early grave?" But still, Frik continued.

"Now we're relying on the brainless goblins with the big spears to show some self restraint? We'll be dead in two seconds! Jareth won't let us escape!" Frik was close to tears of terror by this point. He really was being pushed to the brink of his sanity by this whole series of events. When Mab let out another laugh at this pronouncement, Frik- pushed to the point of insanity as he was- turned to her and screamed hysterically, _"Will you snap out of it?"_ The word "snap" was punctuated by a loud slap across her face.

"Frik!" Merlin snapped angrily, "Don't ever do that ag…." He wasn't given a chance to finish the sentence, as Mab turned back towards Frik, eyes blazing, and sent him flying backwards at extreme speed. Thankfully for Frik, the wall was not all that far behind him, otherwise the culmination of high speed and collision would probably have caused him to break his spine in many different places. Having delivered this retribution, Mab put a hand to the side of her head- now aching from Frik's slap as well as her earlier brush with the armoured monster.

"What in the name of the Old Ways was that for!" she demanded angrily. Merlin-still trying to hold the door behind him shut- sighed with relief.

"Oh, good. You're back," he said. Mab looked severely confused.

"What do you mean "back"?" she snapped. "I haven't been anywhere!" Then she blinked several times, as though remembering something, and groaned silently to herself. Merlin allowed himself a small laugh at her expense before getting back to the matter at hand.

"We have to go," he pointed out, "Mab, can you get rid of those goblins?" Mab gave him a Look, as if to say, _"Of course I can, you idiot, what do you think?"_ Concentrating, she sent out a blast of magic. Merlin heard several high pitched screams as the goblins were flung away from the other side of the door. Pushing the door open, the three of them ran outside. Mab blasted several more goblins out of the way, but as they headed towards the Goblin Castle, their numbers grew ever greater. Mab couldn't keep using magic up on them, or she would have none left to use when they reached the castle, and the goblins were persistent, if not all that bright. The ones that Mab had blasted away before still followed them, and the three were soon surrounded again.

"Well, this is going just brilliantly!" grumbled Frik to himself. Several of the goblins stepped forward, weapons pointed at them. One that appeared to be in charge stepped forward.

"Capture them and take them to Jareth!" it demanded in a high-pitched nasal whine, "Kill them if they try to fight!" The goblins charged forwards. Frik cowered backwards, whimpering in fear- somehow, Merlin didn't think he was going to be doing any fighting, not if his life was in peril. Merlin clutched Mab's hand without thinking. It looked like there wasn't going to be time for them to become enemies again. Jareth wouldn't have either of them, and if that meant that they had to die, then they could at least take some of the Underground's accursed inhabitants with them. Merlin started when he realised that, for once, he and Mab were probably thinking the exact same thing, but now was not the time for dwelling.

Before the goblins could reach any of them, however, several bolts of lightening seemed to crash down from the sky, hitting and scorching the ground around Mab, Merlin and Frik. There was a nasty smell of charring flesh, and goblins were flung in all directions, clearing a path through to the castle. Merlin flung an arm up to protect his eyes from the bright lightening. After the flashes stopped, he rubbed his eyes, wondering for a moment if some freakishly lucky weather-related coincidence had just occurred, but then he heard a high-pitched cackle from high up in the air.

"_See the little goblins, hear their little screams. See them flying through the air, Aren't the poor goblins sweet…"_ the cackling voice sang. Recognising it, Merlin peered upwards, at the cackling girl sat on what appeared to be a broom, of all things, perched high up in the air. She peered down at them and gave them a wave.

"Hello, challengers!" Skeksi called in her shrieking voice, laughing all the while, "Have you missed me?"

"Friend of yours?" Frik asked, staring up cautiously at the madly cackling, black-robed and sharp-taloned witch. Merlin nodded, smiling to himself. After he and Mab had parted company with the witches previously, he'd never thought that he'd be glad to see any of them again, but somehow he thought that had changed.

"What are you doing?" he called up to Skeksi. It was one thing for the witches to not bend to Jareth's will, but surely this direct an attack would qualify as far worse than that. Skeksi called back down to him.

"Helping the challengers to defeat the Goblin King!" she called, "Jareth sets the thirteen hour time limit, but now his time runs out!" She swooped down to their level, still hovering several feet above the ground.

"Do you like my broom?" she asked, preening slightly, "Takes complex magic to make objects fly, but Skeksi has managed it! We can't fly by ourselves; brooms are surprisingly comfortable, as long as you don't sit on the brush." She noticed that Merlin was still clutching Mab's hand, and grinned slyly, "Ah, I see the two of you have indeed recovered from your challenge." Merlin dropped Mab's hand quickly and glared at the witch. Skeksi just laughed.

"Jareth will punish you for this," Mab pointed out, ignoring Skeksi. Skeksi waved a hand dismissively.

"Ha! I would like to see him try! By the time he can afford to take on even one of the witches of Leftwood, his kingdom will be collapsing, all falling down around him. His power will be smashed into oblivion, and if Skeksi can bring it to bear faster, then forever the better!" she spat out. Merlin was taken aback by the venom in her voice.

"Why do you care so much?" Mab asked, "Jareth doesn't bother you." Skeksi turned to Mab.

"Oh, the Goblin King bothers me greatly, Queen Mab. He doesn't deserve a kingdom, he doesn't deserve ultimate power, and he certainly won't have it over us! We witches will not bow to a creature like him. War between us has always been inevitable; Skeksi knows it, and so do Aughra and Gelfling."

"But why now?" Merlin asked, curiously. Skeksi rolled her eyes.

"Questions, questions, questions. Nothing but questions from you. Anyone else would be thankful to still be living! Besides, that question is exceptionally stupid, even from you," Skeksi replied impatiently. She turned to Mab and answered the question to her instead, "We are witches, and you are Queen of Magic. Whom do you think our first loyalty is to, hmmm? Not Jareth, I think." Mab stared at her for a moment.

"Me?" Skeksi grinned and nodded. Mab gave her a small smile, "Well, I'm glad to see that some people still know what loyalty is." Skeksi inclined her head slightly.

"Indeed. But now you must hurry! A failure for you condemns us all now!" The three started, as they realised how short their time had truly run. "Go!" Skeksi urged again. "Skeksi will hold back the Goblins for you!"

"Thank you," Merlin called to Skeksi as the three of them ran for the castle. Skeksi shrugged.

"Skeksi has not had so much fun in many a year!" she replied, turning with a cackle back to face the rush of Goblins.

---

The castle was completely deserted. No goblins, no Arthur or Mordred, and no Jareth. Glancing around cautiously, the three of them made their way to a large staircase.

"Jareth must be up there," Merlin stated.

"I suppose that means we have to go up it," said Frik unhappily.

"Yes," Merlin and Mab replied simultaneously.

"You heard Skeksi, Frik," Merlin said, "More is at stake than just Mordred and Arthur's freedom." Frik nodded.

"I hate being on the side of good," he grumbled, "We always seem to be hopelessly outmatched."

"Appearances are deceptive," snapped Mab, "Are you coming or not?" Without speaking, Frik moved towards the staircase, as did Mab and Merlin.

There was even more tension in the air now. All of them could feel it. Jareth was at the other end of this staircase, and so was their final challenge.

_So, another part ends. Please review! I have to go and pray that my computer doesn't break again, though, knowing my luck it probably will… _


	13. The Final Challenge

Chapter Twelve- The Final Challenge

_Ah, the end is now truly in sight. Only one more chapter to go after this, and then the story will be over, and I can step back from the keyboard and regain some feeling in my fingers, actually speak to my family again, move out of the study, be reintroduced to the real world, and regain some valuable social skills. Like, say, not saying evil laugh , complete with funny gestures, when I actually wish to laugh evilly. What am I going to do then?_

_Anyway, before that stage is reached, here lies the penultimate chapter of "An Illusion of Magic". Those of you who have seen Labyrinth, please don't have a go at me for not changing the challenges so much, I've kept the stair room as part of the end of the challenge. I tried to think of something else to use, but in the end I couldn't really think of anything, so the lovely stair room stayed._

_Lady-Miranda-Van-Tassel: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Yes, it was indeed a good thing Mab snapped out of her giggling fit. I thought that Frik deserved just a tiny bit of retribution for what happened to Morgan, and that was basically it. _

_Incapability: Thanks! I'm glad you found the chapter amusing. Yes, Jareth is just out for revenge, and to try and heal his own wounded ego. About the witches, when I first wrote them in, I considered bringing them all back in one go as more impassive, neutral elements of the Labyrinth, less anti-Jareth, but then I thought it would make more sense for them to be on Mab's side, seeing as she is more closely linked to them (Also, I couldn't resist putting in another "See the Little Goblin" song)._

_Jadanni- Thanks for your comments- I'm glad people like the witches, I was worried people would think they were daft. Yes, Mab might have some slight anger management problems, but she does have good reasons- most people don't get "killed" by their own kid. Jareth being bisexual? Possibly- it might explain his effeminate dress sense (screams and runs away from pitchfork-wielding Jareth fans- I mean no disrespect to the Goblin King!). Mind you, I know someone who's bisexual, and he doesn't dress like that… Actually I think David Bowie's bisexual, but I'm not 100 sure- it could be someone else I'm thinking of- so don't take my word for it…_

_Anyway, on with the story..._

Mab stared around as she reached the top of the staircase. The room she found herself in was possibly one of the most unusual places she'd seen in the Underground so far. The room was large, and filled with staircases- some leading up, some leading down, some travelling up the wall at an impossibly steep angle, many leading to entrances set into the walls, some were even upside down. Jareth was nowhere to be seen, neither were Arthur or Mordred. Turning back to Merlin and Frik, wondering what they thought of this strange room, she was startled to find that they were nowhere in sight. Staring through the entranceway she'd just come through, she saw that the staircase she'd just climbed had been replaced by a flight of stairs leading upwards.

"_Of course,_" Mab thought in irritation, "_Jareth's maze doesn't end at the city gates._" Turning back to the large room filled with stairs, she called out. "Merlin!" Her voice echoed from the walls of the cavernous room, reflecting her words back at her, but though she listened carefully, she couldn't hear Merlin's voice reply. "Frik!" she tried instead, but once again she heard nothing but the echoes of her own voice. On a whim she called out "Mordred!" but that, unsurprisingly, proved useless too.

Steeling herself, Mab descended a short staircase that lay in front of her- her footsteps seeming to be magnified tenfold- following the path it led to for a moment, before climbing another set of stairs that led her to a dead-end platform. Mab turned to go back, but was stopped by what sounded like footsteps coming from below her. Walking cautiously to the edge of the platform, she peered over. Seeing nothing there, she turned back again, just in time to see Jareth walk down the wall sideways, and step onto the platform in front of her. He smiled sadistically at her.

Mab knew she couldn't fight him, not here, not now. She wasn't strong enough to battle him in his own realm, he would defeat her in two minutes at most, and she didn't have the time to try.

Without a word, she went to push past him, to run back the way she had come, but was brought up short when she reached the other side of the platform and saw that the staircase had disappeared. Panicked, she turned back and stared around, looking for a way off the platform, but there was none. Jareth didn't make a move towards her for the moment, but watched her in amusement.

"What's this?" he asked in mock surprise, "No grand plan? No way out? No clever realisations at the last minute? Come now, Mab, surely you didn't make it all this way through my Labyrinth just to end up falling at the last hurdle?" Mab didn't bother replying, casting around in her mind for some sort of solution. Staring down from the platform, she realised.

"_I could jump,_" she thought, "_It's not too far to the stairs below_." She went to step forward, but Jareth seemed to anticipate her thoughts, and caught her arm, pulling her back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mab," he informed her, nodding over the edge of the platform. As Mab stared, the steps beneath her seemed to grow further and further and further away, as though the platform was moving upwards. Mab stared down in despair. She couldn't jump from this height, even with her magic the fall would most probably kill her, or at least injure her enough to prevent her from completing the challenge. There was no way off the platform.

She was trapped.

---

Merlin wandered through the stair rooms, each one leading him on and on, but none of them seeming to lead any closer to Arthur, or Mordred, or his two companions. Mab and Frik seemed to have vanished completely since they had all ascended the stairs together. Merlin prayed that Jareth hadn't managed to ensnare them somehow- despite what had happened in the past between Mab and himself, despite what Frik had done during the challenge; neither of them deserved an eternity as Jareth's prisoners.

Merlin didn't know how long they still had to complete the challenge, but he knew enough to make a fair approximation, and he knew that time was running dangerously short.

"_Has it not been thirteen hours yet?"_ he thought to himself in amazement. Thirteen hours had seemed- and still did seem- an impossibly short time in which to complete this Labyrinth, and yet, so much had happened, it seemed like he had been wondering the Labyrinth for days, weeks, even. He thought back over the events of the past few hours- he'd met, and been challenged by Jareth, had bargained his freedom on a chance to bring back Arthur, had seen Mab and Frik for the first time since that final battle five years ago, had called a truce with his former archenemy, been privy to her innermost thoughts and feelings, been attacked by griffins, seen Nimue (albeit only an illusion of his lost love), fought against an army of goblins, and met three of the strangest magic users he'd ever come across, all within less time than it took to complete an entire day. It had been tiring, it had been dangerous, at times he had hated everyone and everything around him, he'd been betrayed by someone he thought of as a friend, and been made to feel guilty for actions that he had never thought of as wrong. And yet, somehow, he couldn't regret agreeing to the challenge- and not just because of his original good intentions of bringing Arthur back to rule in England. True, Jareth and his kingdom were both loathsome beyond all belief, and the last thirteen hours had been anything but enjoyable, but, for the first time in five long years, he had a purpose to drive him onwards, rather than empty days spent sitting alone and contemplating the general loneliness and pointlessness of his continued existence. And he had company, allies; he'd even made a tenuous friendship with Mab, which was something he'd never believed possible before today. He'd reconciled himself with half of his nature, and found that he didn't hate either himself or Mab for it. And once this challenge was over, everything would return to the way it was before- at war with Mab, the two halves of his nature battling it out for control, being distrusted by the Christians for being what he was, and being hated by the Old Ways for denying his magical nature.

Despite this, Merlin knew that, whatever good things might have happened over the last few hours, they would be quickly overshadowed by what would happen to all three of them should they fall under Jareth's control. Better to be at war with Mab than to watch her be slowly destroyed as he and Frik toiled away at a miserable and meaningless existence. Bearing this in mind, he strode up the staircase, though an entranceway into another, much larger, stair chamber.

It was then that he finally saw Mab. She was standing on a platform jutting out from the wall, at least thirty feet above the nearest set of stairs. Jareth was standing in front of her, smiling nastily, and muttering something that Merlin couldn't hear.

"Mab!" he shouted across to her. Her head snapped up to look at him, and her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Merlin?" Merlin cast his eyes around for some way to get to her, but there was none as far as he could see. Mab called out to him again, more urgently now. "Merlin, go! Leave me here!" Merlin stared at her uncertainly, not wanting to leave her alone with Jareth. "Go!" Mab demanded, more angrily, but still he hesitated. "Merlin, go now! Find Mordred! Please!" she added desperately. Merlin nodded, not wanting to make her plead with him any more. He realised why she was telling him to leave, then. If someone didn't carry on the challenge and find Mordred, then Mab lost her part of the challenge. She could cope with Jareth for a few minutes here as his enemy, but not forever as his bride.

Glancing back momentarily to make sure that Mab was alright, and not in imminent danger of being pushed off the platform, Merlin hurried along the rest of the staircase, and out of sight.

---

Mab watched as Merlin left, before turning back to face Jareth. He had a nasty smirk on his face.

"Hmmm," he observed, "Interesting idea, Mab. Gambling your chances of winning on dearest Merlin finding Mordred in time. You must be desperate. Tell me, how high do you rate your chances now?"

"Considering the microscopic intellect we're up against, I'd say fairly high," Mab replied, looking Jareth in the eye, refusing to let him think he had any authority over her. The smirk never left Jareth's face.

"I'll write that off as an insult out of desperation, shall I?" he asked, leaning towards her, "Because you and I both know that it is, don't we?" Mab glared at him.

"_I_ know nothing of the sort," she snapped. Jareth raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?" he asked silkily, "Out of all three of you, you're the one that knows me best. You may not like me, but even you must admit that I excel at puzzles and confusion. Merlin has five minutes to find Mordred in a maze that, in its own way, is every bit as puzzling as the Labyrinth. And that's assuming he even tries to find Mordred. He came here to find Arthur, remember? To bring peace to Britain? And Mordred, amusing as he might be, is hardly going to bring that about now, is he? Why would Merlin even bother looking for him? Because you asked him to?" His voice was mocking, "He's left you for dead once before. What's to say he wouldn't do it again?" Mab glared at him. Goddess knows, the thought had crossed her mind before now, but she had to remind herself that it was only Jareth playing games with her head, trying to scare her. He carried on, in the same mocking voice, "Or perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps Merlin really will look for Mordred. After all, you share the same blood, the same magic. And we all know how well that worked out before, don't we?" Mab turned away from Jareth, not wanting to listen to his words anymore. Jareth appeared in front of her, blocking her way. He caught her by the back of the neck, forcing her to look at him, and continued, "Or is it different now? Did the two of you set aside your differences? Make _friends_?" He laughed now, "How precious. How very touching. And the best part is that you genuinely believe it. There was me thinking that you had no faith in mortals any more…" Mab hit him then, as hard as she could. He staggered backwards, holding his hand to his face, caught off guard.

"You know nothing about me," Mab snarled threateningly, "Or what I think." Jareth smirked, advancing on her.

"I know _everything_ about you," he told her, "You can't hide your thoughts, Mab, you're pathetically easy to read." Mab didn't back away, but stared at him defiantly.

"Oh, am I?" she asked, "Then you'll know that you don't scare me. You're nothing but a liar and a coward hiding behind your illusions, and I am not afraid of you!" Jareth didn't move for a moment, merely stared silently at her. Then he leapt forward and caught her by the throat. Stepping forward so that her face was centimetres from his own, he murmured threateningly to her.

"You should be. Because in about five minutes, it'll be up to me whether or not to make your life a living hell. If I were you, I'd be attempting to ingratiate myself as much as possible. But then," he continued, forcing her backwards until she was teetering on the very edge of the platform, "That's never been your style, has it Mab? You'd rather fight a hopeless cause right up until the end. You'll resist any threat, whatever the cost, even if it destroys you. It's rather sweet, actually. But here's the problem. You're not in control here. Whatever I choose to happen will happen. I could just drop you off the platform now, and there's nothing you could do to stop it..."

---

Frik was not often a fortunate person. His luck was more often than not of the bad variety, but every so often, even he had his moment of glorious luck shining down upon him. Which would probably explain why, despite being the most cowardly and the least powerful of all three of the challengers who'd entered the stair room, he managed to find Arthur before either Merlin or Mab. Well, perhaps "found" was too strong a word. "Stumbled over" might be more accurate.

He'd been dashing through corridors, unsure of whether he was looking for Mordred and Arthur, or Merlin and Mab, or just a way out of this new and not-so-exciting maze, when someone had called out to him from down a small corridor.

"Wait!" Turning back, Frik saw a barred gate embedded in the wall. Behind the gate, in a small enclosed room, was Arthur.

Frik sighed in relief, "_Thank all the Powers that ever lived- well, except Jareth, obviously- it's not Mordred_." Frik had about as many fond memories of Arthur's son as he had medals for bravery. So cheerful was he about this fact, that he smiled and walked up to Arthur with a cheery, "Hello."

"I know you," said Arthur, suddenly realising, "You're one of my soldiers, when I was fighting against Mordred…Then I appeared here…" He trailed off, the confusing nature of the last thirteen hours apparently catching up with him, "What's going on?" he asked Frik.

"Oh, it's a long story," replied Frik, "You were brought here by the Goblin King…"

"Is he something to do with the Old Ways?" Arthur asked. Frik shook his head.

"Oh, no," he replied cheerfully, "Queen Mab absolutely detests him, if he was anything to do with the Old Ways, it would have collapsed from infighting long before the Romans came to Britain."

"Isn't it a good thing if Queen Mab hates him?" Arthur asked slowly, "She's meant to be our enemy after all." Frik sighed.

"Believe me, that's an even longer story, and there's no time to go into it now. Anyway, Mordred's here too, and Merlin…"

"Merlin's here?" Arthur sounded astonished. "Where is he?"

"An excellent question," Frik told him, "But I'm not entirely sure of the answer at present."

"Help me get out of here!" Arthur told Frik urgently. Frik nodded.

"Just let me get this door open…" he began, before seeing the large chain holding the door shut. The very thick chain that he had no way of unlocking.

"Ah," he said, "This could take a while."

---

Mab gripped Jareth's wrist, simultaneously trying to stop herself from falling, and to loosen his painful grip on her throat. He didn't let her go, however, nor even loosen his grip to help her to breathe, merely continued to talk.

"You should be grateful, Mab," he told her, "I'm the only one who cared enough to take you out of your pathetic existence…"

"_You're the only one twisted enough_," Mab thought, but she couldn't get the words out. She could see black dots darting across her gaze, could feel consciousness slipping out of her grasp. Noticing this, Jareth loosened his grip just enough to allow her to breathe.

"You see?" he told her, "I'm not unreasonable. I don't see why you're so unwilling to become my queen. Anyone else from the Void would be clamouring to be in your place."

"_Well, you should have asked one of them, then, shouldn't you?_" Mab thought, "_Besides, I hardly think they'd be clamouring to be held over a large drop by their throat._" She didn't voice those thoughts, instead she glared at Jareth.

"Let me go," she snarled. Jareth's response was to push her further backwards, until she was physically tilting over the edge, the only thing preventing her from falling was his hand around her neck. He smiled.

"But if I let you go now," he said in a falsely regretful manner, "You'll fall. It's a long way down from here to the ground. Do you have any idea how much harm that could do to you? How it could break every bone in your body? Absolutely agonising pain. Or it might even paralyse you for a while. You wouldn't be able to feel anything then. You couldn't move, couldn't feel. You'd be completely helpless, utterly defenceless. Somehow I can't see you enjoying that." He slid an arm round her waist. Mab struggled weakly, but she didn't dare move too much in case Jareth dropped her. He smiled cruelly, "Besides, why would I want to let you go when I could do this instead?" he asked, pressing his lips against hers, holding onto her in a bruising embrace. Mab tried to struggle then, she didn't care if she fell, but it was as if she really had been paralysed, and she couldn't move. White hot tears of humiliation burned the backs of her eyes, and when Jareth finally broke off his cruel kiss, she could feel that she had been crying.

Jareth regarded her coolly. Finally releasing his grip on her throat, he traced her lips, now slightly bruised.

"But then, it doesn't do to spoil the prize before I've even won," he said, half to himself, "They'll be plenty of time for that in… oh, about four minutes. Then we'll have a whole eternity to spend together." With that, he pulled her back onto the platform, pushing her roughly so that she landed on the floor.

Mab turned to face Jareth. There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who, when backed into a corner, cower on the floor, cover their head with their hands and say, "Please don't hurt me!", and those who fight back until they've hurt the other person who just backed them into a corner as much as possible. Mab was, without a doubt, one of the latter. At that moment, all she wanted to do was strike back at Jareth.

"Poor Jareth," she hissed mockingly, "Unlucky in love, aren't you? No-one would ever willingly sit at your side. Not me, not that mortal girl that you're so deeply in love with…" Jareth's eyes darkened.

"What do you mean by that?" he snapped, clearly not having expected Mab to come out with that. Satisfied that she'd hit a nerve, Mab continued.

"Jareth, it's painfully obvious. You're not exactly hard to read yourself, you know. You're in love with the girl who solved the Labyrinth." Jareth advanced on her.

"If you don't silence your insane ramblings, believe me when I say I'll take the greatest pleasure in doing it myself," he growled, angry, but obviously unnerved that it was so obvious to her. Mab raised an eyebrow.

"Did she turn you down Jareth?" she asked tauntingly, "What a shame. And after all you did for her, too. If her challenge was anything like ours, you taunted her, confused her, poisoned her, tried to take away something dear to her… Oh, I can't see a single reason for her to loathe you."

"Shut up, now!" Jareth commanded. Mab continued.

"Oh, but I thought we were sharing our thoughts, Jareth. Aren't you having fun anymore? Believe me, there's plenty more thoughts I have, and they're not mine alone. All you want to do is control people, and when they won't play your game, you throw a tantrum and try and make them, like some sort of spoilt child. But all you do is make people loathe you even more. You can't force someone to love you- obey you, maybe, but not love- and when you try, all that it does is make them hate you. Like that girl- perhaps you really did want to make her fall in love with you, but you made her hate you instead- and you're still in love with her!" Mab laughed derisively, "The saddest thing is, you're the only one who can't see what you are. A lonely, spoilt, self-indulgent, cruel, pathetic…"

Jareth backhanded her viciously across her face, silencing her and knocking her to the floor with a painful thud. Mab didn't move for a moment, dazed by the force of the blow, and wondering why everyone had decided to start hitting her across the face today. Not allowing her time for a brief respite, Jareth stalked over to her.

"Impudent whore!" he snarled, "How dare _you_ call _me_ pathetic!" Mab struggled to her feet.

"Did I strike a nerve, Jareth?" she taunted, "And you can call me what you want, I'm sure you've called me worse before. All it proves is that you know I'm right."

Jareth caught her by the arms and slammed her against the wall behind her. Fury burned in his gaze, and for a moment Mab thought he might hit her again, or throw her off the platform. After a moment, he managed to regain some self control.

"Do you want to know what's truly pathetic?" he demanded, "Someone who spends their entire existence acting as though they're above everyone and everything else, even when they've been reduced to less than nothing. You have no kingdom, no purpose, your powers aren't what they used to be, and quite frankly, neither are your looks. There is no point to your existence, no meaning. If you faded away into nothing tomorrow, no-one would care- not one being, not your former servant, not your sister, not even your own son. You have been reduced to the lowest of the low, spending years travelling through one of the most nightmarish places imaginable, with every other being that time forgot." He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her, "And I promise you this, before I'm through with you, I will make you _long_ to be back there."

---

Merlin turned the corner. From far off, he thought he'd heard Mab cry out, and he was trying to get back to where he'd last seen her.

As he made his way along the corridors, he thought he heard a tapping noise. Following it curiously, he managed to trace it to its source. A large barred gate sat embedded in the wall, and behind it stood a young man with black hair and icy blue eyes. He looked bored, and was tapping the gate impatiently, as though doing so would bring someone to come and let him out. When he heard Merlin's approach, he looked up and regarded Merlin through cold, narrowed eyes.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Merlin smiled thinly.

"It's nice to see you too, Mordred," he replied mildly. He'd somehow doubted that any reunion between him and Mordred would be a happy one on either side, even though the fact that they'd both in some capacity been created by Mab meant that they were linked in some way, by magic if not by birth.

Mordred ignored Merlin's pleasantries, somewhat empty though they'd been.

"Where's Auntie Mab?" he snapped angrily, as though the fact that it wasn't her standing there was somehow Merlin's own personal fault. Merlin noted that this was the second question Mordred had asked him, and wondered idly what the ever-impatient Skeksi would have made of him. Dinner, probably.

"I don't know exactly, Mordred," Merlin replied tiredly, "If I did, I'd tell you."

"Is she alright?" Mordred asked, his tone implying that he would very much like to be torturing the answers out of Merlin rather than merely asking him.

"I hope so," replied Merlin truthfully, "Hopefully Jareth won't risk harming any of us yet." Mordred snorted.

"I couldn't care less if he kills you and makes ornaments out of your fingers. And don't pretend you care what happens to me or Auntie Mab."

"Strange as it may seem, Mordred, I do care what happens to Mab. And… well, let's not push the boundaries of reality too far, it wouldn't bother me greatly if you fell off the stairs, but unfortunately, that would condemn Mab, too."

"Since when do you care what happens to Auntie Mab? You left her, remember. She should have killed you then in my opinion." There was a strange expression in Mordred's eyes, was it…jealousy?

"Mordred, neither of us is happy to see each other. Shall we move on from that subject now?"

"What are you doing here, then, if you dislike me so much?" Mordred snarled. Merlin stared at him for a minute. He could leave now, leave Mordred here. Perhaps he could find Arthur in time, and then Arthur could definitely come back to Britain, with no threat from Mordred, and none of Mab plotting to bring back the Old Ways to contend with. And he and Frik would be free, too. Mordred had never been a part of their bargain. But then, there was no way of leaving Mordred behind without leaving Mab behind as well. In his mind, Merlin saw her, saw her as she had been when he'd fought against her, saw her as she was now, as his ally, his friend. He saw her fighting everything Jareth had thrown at her, and he saw the look in her eyes when she contemplated a future as Jareth's bride. Then, unbidden, he saw her as she might look in the future if he left her here at Jareth's mercy. Ill, tired, weak, miserable and scared, left alone in her own version of hell, with no way to get out, and no-one to help her.

Merlin sighed. "_Who'd have thought the day would come when I'd stick my neck out, and that of all of Britain, for the sake of Queen Mab?"_ Gathering some magic into his hand, he fixed his attention on the chain that held the barred door shut. "It appears, Mordred, that I'm getting you out."

---

Frik smashed the large rock into the chain again and again. This truly was extremely slow work.

"Hurry!" Arthur urged from behind the door.

"I am hurrying!" Frik moaned.

Jareth stared at the clock, a satisfied expression on his face. From behind him, Mab stared at it, panic beginning to overwhelm her. Only one minute left…

"_Merlin, please, hurry…_" she thought frantically, "_Don't let me end up as his prisoner…_"

"Forty-five seconds…" Jareth muttered, "And counting…" He turned towards Mab. "Poor Mab, it seems your dear friends have failed you." Mab shook her head.

"No!" she denied, "There's still time." Jareth laughed.

"Thirty seconds…" he informed her, "If they plan to save themselves- and you, of course- then they really are cutting it extremely thin."

"But we haven't lost yet," Mab snapped.

"Mab, you have ten seconds left. No more ridiculous delaying. You're mine." He grabbed her arm, and pulled her closer to him. Mab closed her eyes in horror.

"No…" she whispered in desperation, but it was hopeless. Jareth was winning. She was about to lose everything she had left.

"Auntie!" A voice suddenly shouted out loudly. Mab's eyes snapped open, and she and Jareth turned to face its source. Standing on a ledge several feet away from where she stood was Merlin, and Mordred was with him. A short distance away, Frik and Arthur were running into the stair room too. Mab could have collapsed with relief then, but instead she turned to Jareth.

"You were saying?" she asked mockingly, laughingly. Jareth hadn't won. They'd beaten him, beaten everything he could throw at them. He snarled wordlessly and vanished as the stair room began to shift and change, until they were all standing in a large room, on a flat stone floor.

The five of them stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. To Mordred and Arthur, who hadn't been there to journey through the Labyrinth, it must have seemed like a miniature version of the Camelot wars- Merlin and Mab, Mordred and Arthur, and Frik caught in the middle. Arthur was staring uncertainly at Mab and Mordred, Frik was keeping a wary eye on Mordred, who was glaring around at just about everyone except Mab, who in turn was shooting Arthur an absolutely icy stare.

In the end, Merlin was the first one to speak.

"You're hurt," he told Mab. She looked surprised, and put a hand to the side of her head, still aching from Jareth's earlier attack. She'd almost forgotten about it in the panic of almost losing.

"It's nothing," she replied. Mordred looked angry.

"Did Jareth do that?" he asked. Without even bothering to wait for a reply, he nodded to himself and muttered angrily, "I'm going to kill him."

"Haven't we done that already?" Merlin asked, glancing around him, "He's gone." Mab shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. He's probably just gone off to soothe his wounded pride," she said, sounding absolutely ecstatic at the thought of Jareth's misery.

"Merlin, what's going on?" asked Arthur, looking extremely confused. Merlin smiled at him.

"It's a long story, my friend. I'm not entirely sure that I understand it myself." He paused for a moment and stared at his old friend. "It's good to see you again, Arthur." Arthur laughed.

"You talk as if we didn't say goodbye only a few days ago!"

"It might have been a few days for you, Arthur, but it's been years for me," Merlin responded sadly.

A few feet away, Mab and Mordred were talking between themselves.

"I knew you'd defeat him," Mordred told Mab, sounding for all the world like the smug, spoilt child that he really was, "He didn't stand a chance." Mab didn't like to disagree with Mordred and tell him just how large a chance Jareth had actually had of winning.

"Of course he didn't," she replied, smiling indulgently at her young protégée, and taking the opportunity to look him over, see if he'd changed at all. He hadn't, of course, the years since his death had not affected him- as far as he was concerned, only a day had passed since whatever time Jareth had removed him from, not like the years it had been since that time for Mab.

"Um, excuse me?" Frik called out tentatively. The other four stared at him, waiting for whatever it was he had to say, "I don't wish to dampen the thrill of victory for anyone, but… shouldn't we be back in the mortal realm now?" All of them started, realising the truth of Frik's words. Before any of them could say anything, however, a voice rang out from the shadows.

"That's not quite true, Frik," Jareth informed him smoothly, striding out towards them, "Or have you all forgotten the prophecy that I told you about?"

"Jareth, we've beaten your challenge. Return us to our world," Merlin told him angrily. Jareth fixed Merlin with a steady gaze.

"Yes, indeed, you defeated the Labyrinth. And so, the three of you…," he pointed at Mab, Merlin and Frik, "…will be returned to the Realm of Men. But we still have to decide which of these two…," now he indicated Mordred and Arthur, "…will be coming with you." Mab went to protest, and Jareth held up a hand to silence her.

"Now, now, no complaints. I told you at the beginning that either Mordred or Arthur would die at the end of this challenge. But," he continued cheerily, "Look on the bright side. At least Britain will be at peace at the end of it." He laughed cruelly. This was his last dying strike, and he would make it hurt them as much as he could. He waved a hand, and suddenly, Mordred and Arthur were standing several metres away from the others, both of them clutching weapons. Mab and Merlin went to step forward, to go to them, but an invisible force held them back.

"Now," said Jareth mockingly, "Who will win, I wonder? I have to say, my money would be on Mordred. But then, who knows what _unforeseen circumstances_ might occur during the fight. All kinds of things can happen in the Underground. Imagine the tragic waste if Mordred were to trip and fall, and to lose that way…" He laughed nastily. Mab turned on him.

"You wouldn't dare…" she snarled. Jareth stood behind her and whispered to her.

"Oh, I would. Poor Mordred, one minute he's here, reunited with his dear aunt, and the next, gone, dead, nothing left."

"You'd gain nothing from Mordred's death!" Mab protested, but Jareth could hear the undertones of panic in her voice. He smirked.

"It would amuse me to see your reaction," he told her. Then he paused thoughtfully and continued, "Of course, perhaps if I were to gain something better in return. Some kind of trade, for sparing their lives. I could send both of them back to the mortal realm in return- if I were properly compensated of course. A life for a life, one being for another, that seems fair enough." He ran his hand over her hair, "A bride, perhaps?"

"I'd rather die!" Mab retorted. Jareth smiled cruelly.

"Ah, but would you rather Mordred died? Think carefully. I could spare his life…" Mab didn't speak for a moment, staring between Jareth and Mordred in horror.

Frik, who was the nearest to Mab and Jareth, happened to have overheard the conversation, and he stared at them with narrowed eyes for a minute, as though thinking of something. Eventually, he seemed to realise something.

"You can't do that!" he said in surprise. Jareth, Mab and Merlin all turned to face him.

"Excuse me?" Jareth growled dangerously.

"You can't do that," Frik repeated, looking nervous, "You can't trade Mab for Mordred." Jareth looked exceedingly angry.

"I'd like to see you try to stop me, gnome!" he sneered. Normally, Frik would have been hiding behind something at this point, but something seemed to have triggered his school-lecturer mode, and he went on regardless.

"No, I mean you physically can't," Frik told him, "If a prophecy is made about two specific people, you can't offer to back out of the terms by exchanging one life for another, or whatever it is that the prophecy deals with. Prophecies don't work like that. It's only laws and bargains that can be appeased by exchanges, not prophecies. I thought everyone knew that."

"And you think I don't?" Jareth snapped, caught off guard. Mab twisted round to face him.

"Frik's right," she snapped, "Everyone knows that, it doesn't matter what world you're on- and you know it too, you admitted it yourself!" Jareth looked furious once more. Now was he to be denied this victory?

Mordred and Arthur had stopped fighting, too, and they walked over to the others. All five of them glared at Jareth, comprehension dawning.

"There was no prophecy!" Mab snapped, "Or you wouldn't have bothered mentioning it." She turned to the others, "Jareth made this prophecy up as a last resort in case we beat him, so that he could still trick at least one of us into giving ourselves up to him. Like I said," she went on, staring Jareth defiantly in the eye, "He's a liar, he's pathetic, and he's a coward." Jareth went to strike her again, but Merlin and Mordred stepped forward in front of her.

"Touch her again and I swear I'll kill you," snarled Mordred. Merlin just glared at Jareth.

"Send us back," he said coldly, "We fulfilled our side of the bargain. We beat your Labyrinth. You have no way of keeping us here any longer." Jareth stared around them all in a furious, impotent rage. Then suddenly, his eyes alighted on Mordred and Arthur, and he gave another truly evil smile. If he couldn't have them, then he would make them suffer instead.

"Very well," he told them, eyes flashing, "I'll send you all back to before Arthur and Mordred died." He clicked his fingers and a crystal ball appeared. All five contestants glanced warily at it, not knowing why Jareth was suddenly giving in.

"Enjoy your time together!" Jareth laughed mockingly, before smashing the crystal against the ground. There was a bright flash of light, and then everything went black.

---

Mab opened her eyes groggily. Her head was pounding, and it felt not unlike someone had stuffed a pile of wool into her brain. When she regained enough control over her senses to see where she was, she started in surprise. This wasn't the Void. She was lying on a comfortable bed made from crystals, that sat in a large chamber with walls carved out of the purple and grey rock. She knew this place. It was her own kingdom; it was the Land of Magic. For a moment, she lay where she was, not understanding what was going on, before remembering the events of the previous thirteen hours.

"_So, Jareth did keep his word?_" Mab wondered to herself. It certainly seemed as though he'd sent her back to her old kingdom, but then, appearances could be very deceptive where Jareth was concerned. Sitting up and climbing out of the bed, she walked over to the door of the chamber and pushed it open cautiously, half expecting to find herself back in the Underground. But no, this was still the Land of Magic, exactly as it had been when she had last seen it. Fairies and other small magical creatures flitted and fluttered through the rooms, calling out to each other in high pitched squeaking voices. Crystals lay strewn across the floor, in various degrees of fading, and old books sat out on tables and other surfaces.

It seemed so close to being too good to be true, that Mab was still slightly suspicious of it, but she could feel deep inside her that this was no trick or illusion, any more than her hatred for Jareth was. It was her kingdom. After all those years of fighting, of running away from the inevitable oblivion of being forgotten, all those years of travelling through that hellish void, and having to complete Jareth's monstrous challenge, and she was finally back where she belonged.

She began to descend the steps to her inner sanctum. The large crystal cluster in the centre of the room was clouded and misty, and as Mab drew nearer, she felt an increasing foreboding deep within herself. As she reached the bottom, she waved a hand, and the crystals cleared and settled on an image. From where she stood, Mab could see it was showing her a battle. As she crossed the room to the crystals, the image shifted again. Mab waited until it settled. What was happening? What had Jareth done now?

The crystals now showed her Arthur and Mordred standing opposite each other on the battlefield, fighting viciously. As she watched, Mordred was wounded by Arthur, who went to kill him, but then he stabbed his father instead, before the king could do anything …

Mab recognised the scene with a horrible clarity, and then she knew what the feeling of foreboding was, knew what Jareth had done. He'd sent them back, but not in time to stop this. Reaching out, she clutched uselessly at the crystals, as though she could stop what was about to happen, but even then she knew it was useless.

Arthur gasped in pain from the stab wound Mordred had just inflicted on him. Turning towards his son, he thrust Excalibur into Mordred's chest in a blind fury.

Jareth's mocking laughter seemed to echo through the caves, getting louder and louder, as Mab let out a scream.

"No!"

_And here we endeth another chapter. Sorry for those readers who wanted to see Jareth win- I don't like to disappoint you, but I had no idea what to write if that had happened- it would have left the story too open ended, and I would have trailed on uselessly for ages. In the end it came down to do I make them win and be able to finish off the story with a clear idea in my head, or make them lose and carry on with the story until it peters out in a crappy, no-real-ending way. So, there we go._

_I said that I wanted to finish the story in time for Christmas, and I'm still going to try, but with Christmas not all that far off now, I may fail- in case the last part isn't up by Christmas, Happy Christmas everybody!_


	14. Epilogue

_Epilogue: Nothing Ever Changes_

_Phew, just made it up before Christmas! But now, I find myself at a loose end- my time is my own once again! It is most confusing, though gratifying, as this is the very first fanfic that I have posted on the Internet that I have actually completed! Yay me! 'Tis the magical influence of "Merlin"! ;) Here it is, the final instalment of "An Illusion of Magic"- it's not very long, just a short ending, but I hope you all like it anyway._

_Lady-Miranda-Van-Tassel: Yes, they did indeed only just make it. And Mab, Merlin and Frik should be pitied for going all the way through the Labyrinth and then losing their friends anyway._

_Disclaimer: "Merlin" owned by Hallmark Entertainment, Jareth owned by Jim Henson, and I'm not entirely sure who to credit Lord Idath to, but I'll say James Mallory, since whilst he appeared in the "Merlin" novelisation (penned by James Mallory, and a damn good trilogy for those people who haven't read it), he didn't appear in the actual film. BTW, for those of you who've read the book and know who Idath is, don't get overly excited, he gets one, very short, non-speaking appearance which is only included because I wanted to keep in canon with the Merlin film and books as much as possible._

Merlin blinked several times in the sudden daylight of the Mortal Realm. The ground underneath him felt unsteady, and Merlin realised as he looked down that it was because he was sitting on a horse- Sir Rupert, in fact.

"_There's another face I haven't seen for years,_" Merlin thought fondly, looking down at the horse that had been his companion for more years than he could count. But something was wrong. Sir Rupert seemed agitated, worried.

"_Merlin!_" he heard the horse's voice echo inside his head, before he heard a mighty crashing and scraping noise in front of him. Looking up, Merlin saw what was making the sound- a rock-face towered in front of him, with a large crevice in the middle that was quickly sealing itself shut.

Such was the unexpectedness that Merlin felt at arriving back at this point in time, that it took him several moments before he realised exactly what this was- this was the moment that had haunted him for the last five years, the moment that Nimue had been trapped in the Enchanted Cave that lay behind this cliff.

He leapt from Sir Rupert's back, knowing it was futile, running towards the sealing crevice. Before he could reach it, however, it sealed itself shut, once more.

"Nimue," Merlin murmured painfully. To have come so close to being reunited with his lost love, only to have her torn away from him again was almost more than Merlin could bear. So this was what Jareth had sent him back to. A world at war, where he'd lost his dearest love, and Arthur, his closest friend was…

Another painful realisation flooded Merlin. If he'd been sent back to the point in time after he'd left the enchanted cave, then that must mean that Arthur was dying, again. Nothing else could have prompted him to leave. This was Jareth's final revenge on them all- and all the Goblin King had had to do was send them back to this past of their own making.

For a moment, Merlin considered staying where he was. He knew what would happen next- Arthur would die, and Nimue would remain trapped in this cave forever. He couldn't change that, and he didn't particularly want to revisit the past by doing exactly what he had done the first time around. But his conscience wouldn't allow him to leave Arthur to die alone. The King of Britain deserved more than that from his faithful advisor, and Arthur deserved more than that from his old friend.

Merlin walked back to Sir Rupert and climbed back on.

"You know where to go, I presume, old friend?" he asked the horse. Rupert snorted and nodded.

"_Of course, Merlin_," he said quietly. Without speaking again, they left the clearing, heading for Arthur, for what Merlin knew would be their one last meeting.

---

Mab knelt down beside Mordred. There was blood everywhere, so much blood she was amazed that she hadn't noticed it before. It dripped constantly from Mordred's wound, staining the forest floor around him a deep shade of crimson, soaking into her robes as she pulled him closer to her.

"Mordred!" she called urgently, worried for a moment that he would die even sooner than last time, before she could talk to him. He let out a gasping breath and turned towards her.

"Auntie Mab…" he said, attempting to sound as brave and casual as possible, an effect that was somewhat spoiled by the gasp of pain that followed it. Mab stared down at him. There had to be something she could do to save him, he couldn't die again. Reaching deep inside herself, she searched for any spell, any sacrifice, any ritual, anything that would save Mordred and bring him back to her, but there was nothing there. She had never been able to reverse the course of life and death- that power belonged exclusively to Idath, the Lord of Death, and she knew from past experience that he used it sparingly- and healing magic had never been a particularly potent element of her powers- over the centuries the little she had been able to do had been whittled down by the gradual hardening and darkening of her nature, until healing all but the most superficial wounds of others was beyond her capabilities. She knew that willpower alone could not stop Mordred's death.

Fury built up inside her. She was the Queen of Air and Darkness, the Mistress of Magic itself. She could command the winds and storms, could call up armies of magical creatures to do her bidding, could summon the very essence of magic itself to unmake anyone and anything, but what was the use of any of that if she couldn't even save her own child?

Desperately she pressed her hands over his chest, trying to physically staunch the flow of blood. Mordred gave a gasp of pain, and clutched at her hands, trying to move them.

"Mordred, if the bleeding doesn't stop, you'll…" Mab couldn't bring herself to say "die". Mordred's death was almost inevitable, and she knew it. Her voice shook with the effort it took to try and remain calm and vaguely in control, "There's nothing else I can do," she said instead, pleadingly. Mordred stared at her.

"I'm going to die, aren't I Auntie?" His voice was shaking too, though on his part it was because of the effort it took to speak at all. He actually seemed remarkably calm and unmoved by the thought of his death. Mab shook her head firmly, as though by denying it to Mordred, she could deny it to herself too, even though she knew what would happen now, had seen it with her own eyes.

"No," she told him, trying to sound matter-of-fact, "You're not. You're going to be fine, if you just hold still…"

"How am I going to be fine, if even you can't heal me?" Mordred asked, traces of mockery and scepticism still present in his voice. His eyes were beginning to close, Mab could see he was slipping away. Desperately she searched around for anything to say that would make him try harder to stay alive.

"Mordred, we've almost won," she whispered, "And all you have to do to win is stay awake. You can't let him win!" she said desperately, thinking of Jareth's face as he sent them back to this, wondering if he could still be watching them now. To her surprise, Mordred smiled then.

"Yes, I suppose I have won, haven't I? I stabbed Arthur, did you see?" he said, his voice weak, but the tone very self-satisfied and proud, as though he were a child awaiting praise. Mab realised that he had thought she was talking about his battle with Arthur. For Mordred, the last thirteen hours probably seemed like less than a half-forgotten dream, which was probably a good thing for him. She nodded.

"Yes, I saw."

"Did I make you proud, Auntie?" he asked. As well as the self-pride and constant mocking tone in his voice that had remained there so long that now it never left, was something else, almost like longing.

"Of course you did!" Mab told him, watching him desperately, hoping against hope that she could coax him into staying awake, though she had no idea what for. There were no beings nearby who could heal a wound of this severity, certainly no amount of herbs and medicines would cure it, but there had to be some way…

Mordred was smiling to himself again, "I won't make much of a king with a sword wound through the chest though…" Mab could feel him slipping away again.

"I don't care if you're king or not!" she hissed, partly in anger, "Just don't leave me alone again…!" But it was too late. Mordred might have heard her, but he was past being able to reply. He gave her a small smile, and Mab felt his breaths growing shorter as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Mordred…" she called weakly, willing all this to stop "_Not again, please not again…_" Mordred didn't reply, made no indication of having even heard her. "Mordred, please…" Mordred's body went completely still, no more breathing, no more life. Mab shook her head, but she knew it was already too late for her to do anything, and there was certainly no point in denying it. She stood up and moved back away from Mordred's body. Her hands were sticky with half congealed blood, and her skirts were soaked in it, but at that moment, even simple magic to get rid of it seemed too much effort. Mab turned away, leaning against a tree for support. Behind her, she felt a rush of cold air, and knew that the Lord of Death, Idath, had appeared, waiting to take Mordred's spirit, just as he had the first time. Then, Mab had pleaded with him to save Mordred, to bring him back to life, but he had refused to help her, and had left her alone with nothing. Mab knew he would only do the same thing now, and she couldn't bear to look at him. Closing her eyes, she remained facing away from Idath and Mordred's body, unmoving and silent, until another rush of cold air indicated that Idath had departed.

Mab turned back, hoping against hope that maybe this time Idath had seen fit to save Mordred, for the sake of the Old Ways if not for her, but she didn't really expect it. Idath was as cold and unmoving as Mab had been, and sympathy and comfort were as far from his nature as they were from her own. Sure enough, when she had turned back, Mordred still lay where he had fallen, his eyes closed, his skin cold and his chest still. There was nothing left of who he had been. His spirit was gone, his life was gone. It was almost impossible to tell him apart from any of the other fallen soldiers who lay around the forest, all uniformly lifeless.

Mab could hear shouts in the distance- the survivors from Arthur's army, she presumed. She didn't want to have to face them now, wished that the whole world could stop for a few moments, to leave her alone with her grief, but that would never happen. Turning, she left the clearing, walking away from Mordred's body and the rest of the survivors.

---

Merlin reached Arthur in almost the same place that he had before- heading for the lake, clutching Excalibur. Kneeling down beside him, Merlin made the effort to smile at his old friend.

"Merlin," Arthur gasped out weakly, smiling back at him, "I needed to…to see you…" He trailed off, clutching at the wound in his side in pain. Merlin put a hand on his arm, wishing that he could help him.

"Easy now, Arthur," he said gently, "Don't try to move." But Arthur seemed determined to speak to him, just as determined as he had been the first time that all this had happened. Merlin expected to hear the same bequest from Arthur- to give the sword back to the Lady of the Lake, but when Arthur opened his mouth to speak this time, he said something different.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you, Merlin?" he asked weakly, "That's what you meant when you said it had been years…since you had seen me…"

"I didn't know that it would happen again, Arthur- I thought that winning that challenge would save you, not just send us all back to relive the past…" Merlin told him, suddenly filled with guilt that he hadn't thought to warn Arthur of the fate that Merlin thought he was helping him elude. But, he told himself, how could he possibly have known that this would happen again?

Arthur shook his head, "I wasn't accusing you, old friend. I need to know, what happens to the kingdom after I die?" Merlin paused. How could he tell Arthur what happened? That the noble dream of Camelot had turned into petty squabbles and civil war between power-crazed lords, and that people were turning away from their leaders and the New Religion.

"The Old Ways were destroyed. Queen Mab and I fought, and she disappeared…" Arthur looked confused, Merlin didn't blame him, after all, the man had seen the Queen of Air and Darkness standing right in front of him only a short time ago, but now was not the time to go into detail with Arthur, "…I haven't really been back to court since then." He stopped, wondering whether to go on.

"But?" asked Arthur in a weak but determined voice, "There's something else, Merlin, I can hear it in your voice." Merlin nodded.

"The nobles squabble amongst themselves over who gets your crown," he told Arthur, who looked surprised.

"I named my heir- Gawain- before I went into battle with Mordred."

"I know that," Merlin said patiently, "But a lot of the nobles won't accept your decision. Most of them think it should either have been them, or someone more closely related to them. The country isn't united any more; it's filled with different factions, all paying allegiance to different lords, who all claim to be fighting with the blessing of the same god. It seems to me that Christianity is all well and good in theory, but there seems to be an awful lot of pomp, circumstance and hypocrisy when it comes to the actual practice." Merlin remembered, belatedly, that Arthur was also a Christian, "I mean no insult to your God, of course, or you." Arthur smiled weakly.

"I'm sure He will forgive you that comment, seeing what you have already done to bring peace to this country." He paused, frowning, "Merlin, will you do something for me?" Merlin nodded.

"Yes, Arthur." Arthur went on, obviously struggling to speak even more now.

"I was going…to throw Excalibur back into the lake. I thought the world was no place for magic swords deciding how a kingdom rises and falls," he told Merlin, "But I'm not sure that it's the right thing to do any more. I don't know magic. But you do," He held the sword out to Merlin, "I need you to take this. Do what you will with it. You've done so much to bring peace to this country, and if I'm not there to keep the peace, then I need you to save this country. Use Excalibur if need be, get rid of it if that's the best thing to do, but _please_ don't let this country turn into the country that my grandfather ruled over." Arthur's eyes were wide and pleading. Merlin stared at Arthur. He knew that bringing peace to Britain would be a long, arduous and thankless task, but he also knew that he couldn't deny Arthur this one last wish. He reached out and took the sword.

"I'll do all that I can, I promise." Arthur smiled, and, as if he'd placed all his energies into that one last act of trying to be truly loyal to his country, suddenly went limp, his eyes closing, and fell to the ground. Merlin stared down at him for a few moments. Surely this wasn't how it should have ended? They'd beaten Jareth's challenge, by all rights this should be a happy time. But no, the Goblin King had been so hell bent on revenge that he'd shot all of their lives to pieces for a second time.

Standing up, Merlin walked back to Sir Rupert. He had promised Arthur that he would do all that he could to try and bring peace back to Britain, but first he had to know what kind of war he had to fight, what he would have to do to make that peace, and at that point in time, he knew there was only one other person who could tell him that.

"Sir Rupert," he told the horse, climbing onto his back, "I need you to find Queen Mab." If the horse found these instructions strange, he didn't make a comment, just rode off back towards what Merlin knew to have been the site of the battle, just a small while previously.

---

As Mab walked slowly through the woods, her mind filled with fury. Fury at Mordred for dying and leaving her alone, fury at Idath for not saving him, fury at Merlin, Arthur, Frik, her sister, and especially Jareth. Jareth was the one who was making her relive this hellish nightmare a second time. After all she'd been through, all she'd had to put up with in the Labyrinth, surely she didn't deserve this. None of the three contestants of the Labyrinth had. All she wanted was to make Jareth pay for her loss, though she knew how futile that wish was. To go back to the Underground was to condemn herself for certain, and there was no immediate way of bringing Jareth to the Realms of Men if he didn't wish to be there.

The urge to lash out at anything and everything in her fury was immense. To create and recreate and heal was not something Mab could do anymore. Destruction was what she excelled at. She could bring it about in a second, she'd brought it about countless times- in some ways, she'd even brought about her own destruction. She could make this entire forest and all its remaining inhabitants burn in seconds, with flames large and powerful enough to be seen right across the British Isles. But even as she thought it she knew that she wouldn't do it. Not because she felt any particular compunction to spare the soldiers that had, in some way, contributed to Mordred's death, but because a spell that immense would weaken her considerably, and, for all she knew, if the past continued to repeat itself, then she might find herself facing extinction again, and if that happened, she was determined to fight back this time, not allow Merlin, or indeed any of her enemies, to catch her out.

Clenching her fists and closing her eyes she forced herself to hold back the furious, burning tide of magic that threatened to engulf her surroundings in her anger. Just as she succeeded, she heard a horse's hooves pounding across the forest floor behind her. She heard someone dismount, and begin to walk over to her. She turned round, but she knew it was Merlin long before she saw him.

"Hello Mab," said Merlin awkwardly. Mab nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Merlin." Neither of them moved for a while, each one staring cautiously at the other, with wary expressions crossing each of their faces. Merlin stared at the blood on Mab's robes.

"Mordred, is he…?" he asked, trailing off, unsure of what to say. Mab nodded.

"And Arthur? I assume he's dead, too?" she stated, noticing that Merlin now carried the sword that his protégée had pulled out of the Mountain King's rock all those years ago. Merlin nodded.

"Yes. Arthur too." There was another silence.

"Well, what now?" Mab asked, "I assume there was a reason behind seeking me out, other than exchanging empty pleasantries and each of us pretending we care about the other's loss?" Her voice was cold and hard. Back in a world where they were enemies, Mab had no time to be patient or friendly towards Merlin. Merlin, for his part, seemed slightly cautious and unsure whether to attempt friendliness or not.

"I am sorry that Mordred's dead," he protested. Mab rolled her eyes.

"No you're not. You hated Mordred, just as much as I hated Arthur. When I said that you didn't care, it was an observation, not an accusation. I wasn't asking for your pity," she snapped.

"And I wasn't giving it," retorted Merlin, "I'm sorry that Mordred's dead, because I know you loved him, and I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love. The only pity I feel towards you is pity that here in a realm that's partly your own, you seem incapable of showing the slightest hint of any kind of emotion whatsoever, for some reason." Mab stared at him coolly.

"If you came here to insult me, and that's the best you can do, I suggest that you stop wasting your time and leave now. Run back to the rest of Arthur's idiotic troops and see if you can stop the little children from fighting over who gets to rule the country this time." Her voice took on a mocking tone on the last sentence, that sounded not unlike Mordred's.

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Mab," Merlin said tiredly.

"What a pity," muttered Mab, "It would be infinitely preferable if you had." Merlin continued, ignoring her last sentence.

"I came because I want to know what's going to happen now," he told her.

"Then I suggest you consult someone who can see the future," Mab suggested bluntly, "I'm not an oracle of wisdom." Merlin looked exasperated at her refusal to even attempt civility.

"Before he died, I promised Arthur that I'd try and bring peace to Britain," he said. When he said that, a glimpse of what looked like hurt passed over Mab's face, before being swiftly masked behind a veil of coldness.

"How very noble of you," Mab sneered, "And you expect what from me, exactly? A good luck card?" Merlin gritted his teeth.

"I want to know what you're going to do next," he told her, "I need to know what's changed between us, and what you plan to do in this war." Mab raised an eyebrow.

""_What's changed between us"_?" she repeated, "I wasn't aware anything had. Perhaps you and I are existing in two different dimensions, but in the one I'm currently residing in you just said that you promised Arthur, the great Christian king, that you would bring peace to Britain. Unless I'm much mistaken, that puts you and me on opposite sides of the war, just as we were before." Merlin stared at her.

"So, everything that happened in the last thirteen hours was what to you, exactly?" he asked, sounding slightly angry, "Nothing?"

"As far as it stands in relation to where we are now, then yes, it does mean nothing," Mab told him.

"You can't mean that," Merlin demanded, "You can't just pretend nothing happened." Mab rolled her eyes.

"Merlin, shut up!" she snapped, "You sound like some sort of scorned lover." That comment certainly shut Merlin up for a few seconds. After thinking the phrasing of his next sentence through carefully, he spoke again.

"What I meant was, I thought we agreed not to hate each other any more. Not to be enemies. Or had you forgotten?"

"Merlin, I haven't forgotten anything," Mab told him, "I never said that I hated you, merely that we were on opposite sides of the war, and we only agreed not to be enemies for the duration of the challenge." She turned away, but Merlin stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

"I really don't understand you, Mab. Are you really telling me that you want to be at war? That you want to go back to the two of us tearing Britain to pieces, just so that you can score points against me? You really are a self-centred, heartless creature, aren't you!" he demanded angrily. Mab glared at him, furiously.

"There is nothing I want less than to be at war with you, you idiot!" she snapped, "Perhaps you've forgotten, but the last time we fought, I ended up spending five years travelling through the Void. You've seen my memories, you know what that was like. I created you to help save the Old Ways, not to have to defend then against you!" Merlin stared at her.

"But we don't have to be enemies," he protested, "In the Labyrinth, we were allies, we helped each other. I stopped you from getting killed by griffins, you stopped that giant metal creature from killing us all. You told me your fears about Jareth, Mab, we saw inside each other's heads for crying out loud!"

"Your point being?" Mab asked coldly.

"My point being, we could still be allies, or at least not enemies, surely. I'd rather have you as my friend than as my enemy."

"Oh, would you?" Mab's eyes flashed furiously, "You've got a strange way of showing it."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, puzzled. Mab hissed in angry exasperation.

"What I mean, Merlin, is that you might be very good at setting aside your differences, and admitting you might be wrong when you're away from the battle, but when it comes down to it, you might want to be friends, but really, you just want to win a victory for your precious Arthur," she spat, "Your idea of you and I making peace is me agreeing to stop fighting against Christianity, to let things change, to not try and fight as my people and I are diminished by the Christians in power- in between them fighting each other, of course- until we all fade into nothing. Did you honestly think I would agree to that?" Merlin said nothing, but Mab could see in his face that he saw some truth in her words. She continued, "So unless you were willing to acknowledge your heritage, and help me fight to get my rightful powers back- which would be a welcome change, quite frankly- then you and I are on opposite sides in this war. Are you?" she snapped. Merlin hesitated a moment. He knew that it wasn't the Old Ways that were at the root of all Britain's troubles, and from what he had seen of the mess the nobles had made of the country after Arthur's death, quite frankly, he couldn't see how Mab could make it much worse. But then, he'd seen what Mab could do when she felt she'd been pushed into a corner, knew how terrifying the consequences could be for all involved, and knew he couldn't risk helping her to regain the kind of power that would allow her to do that again. Besides, he had made a promise to Arthur, and Merlin didn't think that even Arthur, despite his tolerance, would countenance him handing Britain away from Christianity and back to the Old Ways. He shook his head.

"I can't break my word to Arthur. I made him a promise. By the definition of your laws, words are binding, Mab," he said, sounding sorrowful. Mab didn't look surprised.

"Then you knew exactly what you were letting yourself in for when you made him that promise, and you can't complain that you've set yourself against me, _again_. That you've turned your back on the Old Ways, _again_. That you're helping anyone and everyone else before me, _again_. You knew all of that, so don't try and push the blame onto me." Merlin stared at her.

"And that's your final word?" Mab nodded.

"Yes." Her voice had lost some of its former coolness, now she sounded slightly sad. She regarded Merlin thoughtfully. For years they had loathed each other, but even then, Mab would have given an awful lot for Merlin to try and make peace with her. He was her son, he was part of her, part of the Old Ways, but she couldn't, and wouldn't, give up her fight on the terms that Merlin was offering. To sacrifice the Old Ways in their entirety, and quite possibly her own existence, too, was not something that she was willing to do, even if it meant making peace with Merlin. She'd always put the Old Ways and her subjects above and before everyone and everything else, and if Merlin was still willing to set himself on the side of Christianity, then he had to know that he was setting himself against her, too.

A noise from nearby caused both of them to look up. By the sounds of it, the rest of the soldiers from Arthur's army were heading towards them. Mab stepped backwards.

"I'll take that as my cue to depart, shall I?" she asked, "Tell your friends they haven't won yet." Her voice sounded cold again, as though the small amount of emotion she'd shown a moment ago had been forcibly crushed.

---

Merlin didn't reply to Mab's words, merely stood and watched as she vanished. There was nothing in the world he wanted less than to have to fight her, but he could see that there was no choice. Both of them had vowed to fight for opposite courses, and Merlin could see that, until they found a way for their aims to coexist in peace, then he and Mab would always be at war, he would always be fighting against the woman who had given him his life and his powers. Neither of them could alter that, both were as unshakeable and unchanging in their beliefs as stone, and neither would ever break the promises they had made to others for anyone else- Merlin had criticised Mab for being cold and heartless towards him, her son, but when it had come down to it, he hadn't even been able to abandon his duty for Nimue, the woman he had loved. Was everyone associated with him destined to be lonely and unhappy forever?

Sighing, he turned and walked back towards Sir Rupert. He had the rest of Arthur's nobles to contend with, years of trying to unite the country under one lord, and trying to force himself to care who eventually got it, then forcing himself to fight against Queen Mab and the Old Ways again. Years of loneliness, of fighting, of bitterness. It would be as bad, or worse than it had been before Jareth had even set him that ridiculous challenge.

He rode away, ready to go back to being Merlin-the-wizard, the loyal follower of Arthur, who lived to bring peace to Britain, but whom no-one really trusted. If he acted that way for long enough, then it would be as if nothing had ever changed.

_Well, that's it folks. I have to say, I'm not terrifically happy with how I've written this chapter, I wouldn't say it's the best one so far, but endings are not really my forte, and so I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, I'd never have finished this without you! Happy Christmas!_


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